personal1: A tribute to my dad (v1.0)

 My father was born in Bangalore, India. He was a Mechanical Engineer. He started with nothing and grew to be the head of Kirloskar Brothers (a engineering firm) for a south India sales region. He did it with sheer determination, hard work and integrity. He had no ill-will towards anybody. I have never seen him express a negative thought about anybody. He was soft spoken. He was well liked and affable. He was a simple man with a purity of thought. I still remember the small one room unit we stayed in Nagpur when I was a small kid, when he worked for the municipal public works department. We had humble beginnings. 

His role model was Professor Srinivasan, the eldest brother, who was an academic who at various times headed Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and Madras Institute of Technology. He was an incredible figure, wedded to Gandhian principles. He wore Khadi clothes (Indian homespun), generously helped the poor, and lived a simple life. He ended up being the bread winner for the family of eight brothers and sisters and their mother. He never married. He imbibed all of them with soaring principles. He taught his siblings well. He ensured all of them were educated. All of the brothers did well in life (they were all Engineers). He was enormously respected.

The root of the whole Kasi family tree is Kasi Shesha Shastri who was the foremost Sanskrit scholar in the Mysore king's palace. Very learned and respected man. 

I grew up in Bombay where my father worked for Voltas (an engineering firm). It was a long commute every day for him from the suburbs to his office. Around the time I left home to go off to college, he transferred to Kirloskar Brothers and moved to Bangalore. He leveraged profits from a number of real estate transactions to buy a beautiful final home in an upscale area of Bangalore. They lived out their lives there. My brother returned to India and settled in Bangalore, and he provided support to them as they aged. He also ensured they had adequate funds in their old age for more independence.

My father was my role model. He taught me to work hard, and always focus on integrity. He also taught by his own example. He had my respect and admiration. Professor Srinivasan's example was also an inspiration for all. 

My father towards the end had dementia. It might have set in after he had a heart valve replacement surgery due to reduced blood flow to brain. I don't know. He passed away peacefully in his sleep.