66. There was no girl child born in his family for a 100 years...and then along came his granddaughter!

Thousand Full Moon: Shri. Lalit Parikh (81+)

Contributor: Shri. Lalit Parikh

Editor’s Note: My brother met Shri. Lalitji on an airplane from Mumbai to Newark. After exchanging some pleasantries they exchanged email addresses and parted ways. After a few days my brother wrote to Lalitji informing about the Thousand Full Moons blog and asked him whether he too could contribute by sending a narrative of a pleasant event from his life. My brother received a prompt email from Lalitji where he shared many joyous and amazing experiences from his accomplished life.

Here are some excerpts in Lalitji’s own words:

I was only a lecturer and my Head of the Department challenged me by saying that "Forget Professorship, you won't even become a reader, as you're not a Ph.D. Believe it or not, I started writing my thesis and completed in exactly six months and got my degree soon. Then I not only became Reader, even became Professor, Chairman and Head of the Department. I am proud of being Indian, More proud to have taught Hindi, our national language. I am happy and content with life and its achievements.

I enjoyed giving tuition to school students of all classes going to their homes for paltry fees. Eight-nine tuitions a day! I taught Jain Sadhvijis at five o'clock in the morning. I'm proud and felt honored that they gave me so much of respect and studied in the long veranda of their Hall in the bright street light. Normally they would not even see a male face at that early hour. But they as well as trustees of that Jain Organization had full faith in me. I used to run to my Morning College immediately after that. I would not take even tea at their charity breakfast kitchen meant for all devotees and visitors. I had to start after getting ready at 5 o'clock in the morning, catching the first bus to reach there, walking a lot too. Any way I enjoyed.

I visit India, my motherland every year with lot of excitement, taking tours to places in India as well as some foreign locations with Kesari Tours and Travels, the best organized Tour Company. When I introduce myself with a comment that I don't have a brother or a sister, to all my co-tourists, they immediately say in chorus:" We all are your brothers and sisters. We welcome you."

I keep myself busy by walking for 30 minutes morning and evening and writing short stories on computer. Computer and I-Pad are my best friends. With God's grace and inherited good genes (thanks to my respectable parents)  I don't have any medical problem so far, nor do I take any medicine. Being positively positive I am cent percent sure that I would celebrate my Hundredth year after just another 18 years.

Well now, I have to narrate the happiest experience of my and my late wife's life, my parents' life too... they were eighty plus at that time. There were no daughters born in our family for more than 100 years. My father had no sister. His father too had no sister.

A Jain Sadhu Maharajshri, whom I used to go and teach every day had told me three true predictions out of which one was: "No girls in your family for last hundred years and now a baby girl will be born, bringing real Good Luck to you all.

His words came true when my second son and daughter-in-law got a baby girl-whom I wanted to name Shatabdi, but as per her parents' wish she was named Shruti. Her arrival made all of us so happy that we all danced together spontaneously. She proved herself to be goddess Lakshmi bringing Good Luck to us.