Dad has touched so many lives in so many ways – as a teacher, a colleague, a trusted elder in the community and as a friend. But to us, this extraordinary person was simply our dad. He was gentle, thoughtful, and incredibly patient – whether it was holding our hands for our first steps, helping us with our homework, or teaching us to drive a car.  His quiet strength was a constant in our lives – an unfailing faith in us that never wavered, no matter what our own doubts may be. He would often say, “If you work hard, and put your mind to the task, you can accomplish anything.” These words have carried us through some of the hardest times, and were always such a source of comfort as we knew that he truly believed in them.

 

As a kid, Dad would tell us stories about his early life – college years at IIT Kharagpur in India, the time at MIT, and Mom and Dad’s early life in Boston. When we were kids it all sounded like an exciting adventure; but as we grew up, we really came to understand and appreciate who our father was, and the magnitude of what he had accomplished.  Dad had a truly brilliant mind. He was passionate about research and was ultimately granted almost three dozen patents in his lifetime. He co-authored four books and was given numerous awards for technical achievements.  But this same man found the time to build the desk that still sits in our room in Columbus today, to help us with our Science Fair projects, and to be there for every major event in our lives.  Dad was eternally grateful for the opportunities he received as a product of his academic achievements – and as a result, championed education and the value of using ones skills to give back to the world.

 

If you asked Dad what he valued most it would be a quick and simple answer – family. Family was so important to Dad – as the eldest of seven brothers and sisters from a small town in Orissa, he had tremendous responsibilities and always rose to the task. He was quietly generous and fiercely independent - he would never ask for any help.  He never needed acknowledgement for all that he did!  He simply did what he thought was necessary and what he thought was right.  In recent years, when we would ask him what he wanted for birthdays or what he would like to do during vacations he would say, “I just want to spend time with the family.”  He was always looking out for what was best for the family – even, and perhaps most especially, in those last moments.

 

He loved to laugh and always saw the good in everyone. He was strong-willed, but would never pick a fight.  Instead he would always try to use the power of reasoning to make his point. He lived a simple and elegant life with a constant focus on how he could contribute to the world around him.

 

While it is difficult for us accept that his time on this earth was cut short so early, we take some comfort in a passage from the Bhagavad Gita that alludes to one’s soul as ‘eternal, undecaying, birthless, and indestructible.’  We could not have asked for a better father; whatever happens going forward, Dad will always, in some way, be with us.

 

Sangeeta Senapati,, Chicago.

Suneeta Senapati, Philadelphia.

 

Sangeeta was born in 1977.  She did her MD and MS later.  She is currently associated with the Medical School of University of Chicago at Chicago.

 

Suneeta was born in 1982.  Like her older sister she laso did a MD followed by a MS. She is currently associated with the Medical School at Univerity of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia.