DGK@80
Everyone knows him as DGK.
I am sure many would not know his complete name. You find him sitting in a chair on the patio of his house in deep thought. While thinking, he strokes his right hand over hair strands on the head as if smoothing them from habit and looks blank into the sky. He is clean-shaven with a groomed moustache. The smile on his face is very deceptive as he constantly struggles with deeper issues- some in the short term and others in the longer term. He seems to be leading a contended life after his active service.
DGK is a complete book of life, and he is a hero. He writes every chapter himself and perfectly fits into Chris Vogler’s Hero’s journey protagonist template. His outer journey is the plot where he wants to accomplish a finish line, and his inner travel is a journey of fulfilment. It is a character arc from protection to courage, from fear to boldness, involved to be evolved, fully defining to be individual — I express myself and am a complete individual. The conflict and obstacles manifest within himself. As I have seen him closely, he is a dark horse. No one would notice him except his deeds. He is a ‘go-getter’.
He begins his day by making a solid cup of coffee. He sets out to meet his friends for an informal daily meeting for an hour at ‘rachha banda’, which means a granite stone. It is a massive granite stone on which all the friends meet in the morning and talk. While there is no structure, the conversation subjects vary from local to national politics, stretching to the current war in Ukraine. There would be intense debates on the issues. The friends talk about their children, education, marriages and break-ups, and the meeting ends with half a glass of hot tea. All the friends start the day with positive energy and a sense of accomplishment.
After returning from the session, DGK reads newspapers to validate the morning discussions. He looks for different perspectives from the editors on specific issues. After giving instructions to the cook, he has the usual bath and morning prayers. He is ready to receive the first batch of visitors after his breakfast. Friends come to him for advice on specific issues. He is a great listener and very generous in offering options for a particular problem, whether a temple issue, a relationship or a requirement of space for the cremation of dead bodies in the community. He would lead from the front without any fanfare. He has been a member of several trusts and leads from the front in resolving conflict. His selfless service and ability to listen to various viewpoints have earned him much respect in the community. He loves watching the local television news when he has time, and he wants to be current with the topics for discussion the next day.
I have seen the aura around him on his retirement day and the day of his first foreign travel. His colleagues and friends gathered in front of his house on the day of his retirement; they spoke and narrated exciting stories from his business life. When he went to France on an official mission, several colleagues gathered for the farewell at the airport, showering rose petals on him before crossing the boarding gate.
His hectic weekend activity starts Thursday for his free food distribution centre at Kisargutta, a picturesque hill town with Sri Ramalingaswamy as the presiding deity. He gets into details of the menu, the current inventory of the provisions and the availability of service personnel, as several of them are in a voluntary capacity. He is at the site every Sunday to ensure the processes are in place for serving healthy meals to the visitors.
His friends presented a framed citation on his 80th birthday. The citation’s author had the eloquent words to describe him. It is an excellent executive summary of his in three paragraphs. The first paragraph dealt with his academic excellence, professional life and contributions to the country as a techie. The second part dealt with his inner self and spiritual pursuits. The third paragraph is all about his personality and community service.
DGK is my grandmother’s favourite, and I am sure she is delighted and showering her blessings on him from wherever she is.
I am very proud that he is my brother.
