REMEMBERING MY FATHER G S RAJHANS AS 2022 YEAR WINDS UP

Remembering My Father G S Rajhans As 2022 Year Winds Up 

As year draws to a close thoughts are on My Father G S Rajhans and essays of life he penned. Whenever new year ringed in his enthusiasm never ebbed and he began new year on a promising note. Respect To One, Respect To All what guided him entire life thanks to his upbringing. What he inherited from his parents Jaideo Rajhans and Kiran Mai Rajhans was life is a journey with its share of ups and downs and patience and perseverance in the long run reap uncontested dividends. My Father was second among four brothers going by the names Dr Shiv Shankar Rajhans, Dr Gouri Shankar Rajhans, Karuna Shankar Rajhans and Gyan Shankar Rajhans. All four of them had reservoir of talent much illustrated by calibrated innings played in varied fields. Dr S S Rajhans a renowned physician having pursued higher studies in London, My Father A Distinguished Fulbright Scholar in North Carolina University At Chapel Hill, K S Rajhans Much Celebrated Conservator of Forest and Gyan Shankar Rajhans a Renowned Engineer And Much Acclaimed Religious Preacher. 

Guidance From Parents 

What My Father learnt from his parents was life lures one to different set of challenges and here dollops of Will And Wisdom stands one in good stead. The life journey that began from Sultanganj In Bhagalpur District In Bihar State In India drew inspirations from different stints in North Carolina in US, Kumardhubi (Now In Jharkhand State In India), Kolkata In West Bengal State In India and Delhi interspersed with Diplomatic Assignments in Laos and Cambodia. His media days and parliamentary pursuits brought him much closer to the rough-and-tumble of life journey of a commoner. Commoner who has to stretch out each single day grasping challenges with enough foresight.  During his days in Hindustan Times Newspaper he often had the opportunity to crisscross India from Kashmir to Kanniyakumari, from Ajmer to Ahmedabad to Allahabad. His visit to Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah (Shrine) was not solitary; his belief in God strengthened his resolve and he overcame odds whenever they touched his life script. 

Kashmir Sojourn And South India Foray

His Kashmir Sojourn would well be remembered for peace champions that had their base in the Valley (Kashmir) then and disruptive proceedings were least to be seen. His off and on visits to South India covering territories as diverse as Madras ( Chennai Now), Kanniyakumari (Tamil Nadu), Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu), Tirumala (Andhra Pradesh) and Madurai (Tamil Nadu) gave insights on India the nation that has to date stood as one irrespective of attempts to ink divisions. His life odyssey stressed the fact that peace be given a chance and his outing to erstwhile USSR (Russia Now) in the '80s was at a time when USSR had not split into Independent States. His visits to Maharashtra State including Bombay (Mumbai Now) and he in attendance at Filmfare Awards Function are still fresh in my memory. Iraq invading Kuwait in 1990 and that gave him the platform to decry the Iraqi misadventure and he wrote extensively during that time as well as participating in All India Radio (AIR) discussions. 

Concern For Those On Margins Of Society

My Father chased varied goals in life and his resolve to address the grievances of those on the margins of society during his Parliament Days and thereafter illustrated his concern for the downtrodden. A much celebrated author of various novels, his painstaking efforts to raise a Family Of Five was no less achievement. My Father's various novels were staged as plays in Kamini Auditorium in New Delhi in the 80s' at a time when there were less intrusions is what I can recall at this stage. My Father chose a life whose script courted battles behemoth in nature and he not losing the narrative awash with sanguine expectations. My Father came from Bihar State whose members were in minority in the State Of Delhi and yet he found a way out after every session of despondency. My Father was a true champion of democracy and a well read man who had history of India, US as well as of China and beyond on his fingertips and this getting him the audience on various occasions. He had a liking for NDTV, Aaj Tak and other news channels functioning in India and he watched proceedings with full alertness. AIR News in particular he would often listen to keep himself updated. During his Parliament Days and later he travelled extensively by Indian Railways the mode of transport that provides best connectivity in the country. In March-April 2009 when I stayed in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra State In India for one month to be in touch with Lord Sai I would speak to My Father through landline every other day. Even in Tirumala to visit Lord Venkateswara Temple during my stay I would speak to My Father through landline. 

If one were to look back, occasional disruptions in chapters of life goaded him to rise again and he truly shined in different disciplines. He chased and cruised with a vision and the need to cheer all those who came in his contact. A man with elephantine memory and a person with sober outlook, My Father lived a life that many would like to replicate. 

YEDU KONDALWADA VENKATRAMNA GOVINDA GOVINDA