MB#8: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧: 𝘼 𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙒𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙.
- www.suryanarayana.com
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
[MemoirBlogthon#8] In 2015, my father handed me a list of his and my late mother's medical aids and garments, asking me to donate them to the Gandhian-led Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust. But he added a specific, puzzling condition: I must wait six months after his passing before making the donation. This instruction was a profound lesson in cultural reverence and ethical foresight, revealing his final wish to ensure his belongings served a charitable purpose while honoring spiritual traditions. Fulfilling this specific desire brought me an inexplicable, quiet joy.
In 2015, my father, in his nineties, performed an act of remarkable foresight that revealed his profound ethical grounding.
One day, when he saw me doing nothing at home, he gave me a four-page brochure about the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust. Established by Mahatma Gandhi in 1945, the Trust works across India for the welfare of women and children in rural areas, focusing on education, healthcare, and vocational training in line with the Gandhian vision of Sarvodaya.
My father asked me to "go to this branch whenever it's convenient for you." Find out for yourself as to whether they accept this list of used articles as a donation in kind."
I visited the local branch in Hydershahkote, Hyderabad. I was immediately impressed, noting their medical camps and counseling centers. I even informed my father that my Rotary Club had collaborated with them previously. The person in charge readily agreed to accept any items we wished to donate.
The List and the Six-Month Rule
My father then asked me to write down a specific list of items he wanted to donate: a foldable wheelchair, a walker, adjustable walking equipment, a water bed, an air bed, a backrest, a patient stool, and sarees and blouses belonging to my late mother.
But he attached a profound condition to his wish. He instructed me to keep the items in my room for six months after his death before taking them personally to the Trust and obtaining an acknowledgment.
My father passed away in July 2015. I held onto the items for the specified period, fulfilling his wish precisely. In the following January, I delivered the carefully listed items to the Trust.
The Spiritual Significance of Waiting
His specific instruction about the six-month waiting period puzzled me initially. Researching the custom, I found that this practice stems from deep-rooted cultural and spiritual beliefs:
Spiritual Attachment: Some cultures believe the spirit of the deceased may remain attached to personal belongings, and distributing them too soon could cause distress or disrupt the grieving process.
Respect and Mourning: The delay is a sign of respect and allows family members adequate time to grieve and emotionally process the loss before relinquishing the physical remnants of the person's life.
I realized that my father, highly attuned to ritual and tradition, had likely adopted this timeframe as an act of both cultural respect and a final gesture of detachment.
The deeper ethical 'reason' behind this entire episode was his realization that his time was limited. I believe his human instinct signaled awareness of his impending death. He wanted to ensure his aids and my late mother's items were given away to a deserving institution where they could be truly useful, rather than being discarded or stored indefinitely.
I consider this final, thoughtful donation a wonderful wish from my father. By respecting his intentions, I felt an immense, quiet happiness. This episode, which I share with the younger generation, is a testament to my father's foresight and his commitment to charity, a final footprint of an ethical life.
MB#8: Quiz
MB#8: Question: What specific, puzzling time frame did the father mandate before the donation could be made?
A. Three months after the first full moon.
B. Six months after his passing
C. On the first death anniversary.
D. Immediately upon his passing.
MB#8: Quote
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