Legacy - Not A Birth Right

Mark Twain, the great humorist American writer who gave the world the famous novel ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ and the sequel, ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” In my youth, I was proud to be born in a rich family and it was only after the age of 50 did the realisation dawn that I was born in a family of ancestors with paramount virtue and integrity. None of the decedents including me had fundamentals parallel to my ancestors, hence resultantly, the legacy dissipated to dust after two generations. My vanity to have been born in a rich family without recognising the significant values of my eminent forefathers makes me an undeserving inheritor.

My great grandfather, Pothina Narayana Swamy who lived for 102 years, served in the Military for many years since 1885, leading a very simple life until his death in 1959. His only material wealth was the monthly pension from the state. He was a voracious reader and philosopher who did not have any attachment to wealth. My elder grandfather, whom we called ’pedda tathiah’ Pothina Srinivasa Rao was the first film exhibitor in Andhra Pradesh, who established Maruthi Cinema in 1921, ten years prior to the production of the first talkie of Indian Cinema ‘Alam Ara’. In my teens, I used to ask him several questions about his past and his struggles. I was fortunate to listen to his life story and, even today, I emulate him as my role model and my greatest inspiration. But even though I was proud of his legacy, I failed to follow in his footsteps. My ‘chinna tathiah’ Pothina Ganapathi Rao was the first Municipal Chairman of Vijayawada after the formation of Andhra Pradesh, serving from 18th August 1955 until 27th August 1956. Soon after his struggle and pivotal role in the freedom struggle, he disengaged from all public life; but at the instance of the then Prime Minister of India who was also his jail-mate, he accepted to be the Chairman of Vijayawada Municipality. Ganapathi Rao passed away in the year 1958, just two years after I was born, and I confess that I failed miserably to demonstrate even a fraction of his righteousness during my feud with my uncle, where I discarded all those profound family values my ancestors stood for.

In due course, I shall post two engrossing and inspirational blogs, 'The Legend of Maruthi Cinema 1921’ and ‘Patriots only Bleed’ highlighting the achievements and sacrifices of both my Grandfathers. The elder brother, an inspirational entrepreneur and a pioneer in the world of cinema, and his younger sibling, a selfless patriot who gave a sensational dying statement leaving a legacy of true human values. The legacy of my grandfathers and their father left no deserving inheritors who could carry forward the legacy and pass it on to the next generations; resultantly the achievements of the peers drifted into oblivion. Two of my uncles prospered as film producers but they lost their narrative, hence, their careers became insignificant. Two generations since my grandfathers, including me, only basked in their past glory, boasting of them as if that itself was a great achievement in our own lives, which the peers high above would have felt disappointed. I had to shift from such rumination of the past, for it does not nourish any part of my body except for my undeserving pride. Superior people do not achieve goals to be legends, they just perform with their fair judgement exercising their free will and imagination to the maximum, travelling beyond their physical and social boundaries. I miserably failed to emulate my ancestors, especially from my two grandfathers who laid the strong foundation for my joint family.

I realised that ‘legacies’ cannot be for encashment of the reputation and fortune earned by the peers; it is to emulate from their valuable deeds and follow in their footsteps. The legacy of powerful peers can be inherited only if the next generation proves to be either equal or better. Once the retarded actions of the inheritors surface, the legacy evaporates into thin air, and what remains is only a reference, which wanes too. Just like Srinivasa Rao’s Maruti Cinema which was demolished for a shopping complex in the 90s to take advantage of the escalated real estate value, like the brick and mortar statue of Ganapathi Rao that remains today weathered and broken in the corner of a crossroad in the old city of Vijayawada unattended.

During my difficult times in 2007, I realised the blunders I had committed for they were only a culmination of my weak fundamentals. It was ‘time’ that was effectively used by my peers leaving their everlasting footprints to follow, but disappointingly the descendants enjoyed only the inherited wealth not recognising their true values. I credit the change in me since 2007 to the above enlightenment. Thereafter came the benefits of wisdom and virtue after a value-building journey for five years until 2012. The turning point of my life undisputedly since January 2012 was from the day I took up a profession in which I believed I could bring a change. Since then I did not waste the opportunities that ‘time’ granted me. I tried to live up to the expectations of whoever approached me for advice and support. I resolved many of their debt-related issues and in return, I was rewarded. I honestly used every hour of the day to improvise my profession by reading and learning and not by spending hours before any deceptive medium or in any unmeaningful activity. Friends, near and dear and clients were extremely satisfied with my advocacy and strategies. My goal was simple, I need to take small steps and deal with them as sincerely as my forefathers. The gravity of the crisis during the COVID-1 once again reminded me of my 2007 resolve, hence I pulled my socks and intensified the earlier stance using every minute of ‘my time’ as if it would end at any time. The change came only after I began to see into ‘myself’ in deep introspection for the answer to all queries, and it cured me of all misery.

I was just a normal graduate having no scope to dream of anything big. I have not been into higher studies nor to foreign universities, but I am grateful to my uncle for giving me good schooling which laid the foundation since my childhood days, and it was everlasting. My family might have not invested a fortune in my higher education, but it doesn’t matter. Whereas my grandfathers were only SSLC but they stood taller than any scholar, learning only from the cannons of life. As of date, I still have in my possession ‘this day’, at least ‘an hour’, or at least ‘a minute’, or even a ‘second’ of the ‘precious time’ to contribute some value to the society around me with my experiences. Any extension of the ‘precious time’ shall be a bonus. Every species faces a threat, similarly, the human being faces a crisis that threatens either his health or wealth. For me, it is to salvage some value of my peers and regain my elements. Had our ancestors documented their efforts and values and passed them on to us, we would undisputedly be inspired by their chronicles and picked up those that we are supposed to inherit. But unfortunately, we ignore to emulate and follow their footsteps, just like the priceless library of my great grandfather that was destroyed by termites during our times. It requires a third eye to see what your peers stood for; and all those selfless souls who stood tall in our society.

I realised that celebrating the customary birth or death anniversary of ancestors definitely does not prove that we are following in their footsteps. It's only a variant in hypocrisy. Due to the documentation of my experiences and thoughts, many called me up stating “your experience narrated in the blogs are inspiring us also to introspect and record our experiences”. That’s quite heartening. They were all happy to see the real ‘me’. My value for ‘time’ has now helped me to rebound and become a deserving descendant of my peers and their legacy. All these years, my associates and clients wondered why I insist on the timely execution of assignments. They did not realise that I was indicating that ‘time’ is wealth, that it can be seen as the best opportunity for every man. As I said earlier, I started using every second of every single day and night to be alert with a presence of mind. The risk of failing to do what my conscience prompted was very much staring right at my face.

Mohammed Ali, the three-time World Heavyweight Champion who won 56 times in his 22-year career including the Olympic Medal at the age of 18 in the year 1960 was called ‘The Greatest’. Ali was not just a Boxer, but a great philosopher too. He made valuable quotes and statement which will be remembered forever. One of my favourite quotes of Mohammed Ali’s that inspired me was, “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out, its the pebble in your shoe”. I realised it was ‘pride’ that kept me behind without progress in my prime and wore me out in the past. I identified the time I had squandered as my pitfall, and now there is little of it. I need to use time in portions as currency in exchange for any valuable knowledge even though acquired in minute portions. My peers have returned back to my mind, body and soul, not to remind me of the brick and mortar they had built, but their virtues that shall follow me like a shadow even after dusk. I am grateful to them and I pledge I will live up to them every second, to keep up their legacy, not as a birthright, but as a responsibility.