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gratitude towards my father. They recollect how this initiative of his helped change the course of their lives.There were two distinct phases in my father's life. He met with a life threatening accident in Punjab in 1964. He was in a coma for three months and when he came out of it, he was severely restricted in getting back to the high-energy lifestyle that he was so accustomed to. While the first part of his life was full of zeal and outward looking, the post-accident phase was more inward looking. He continued in public life as a legislator and a parliamentarian for another 20 years till 1984, before retiring to live near the Simhachalam temple.Even in retirement, he was called upon to grace many meetings and functions. He continued to do so with his trademark punctuality and courteousness. These two traits were ingrained in my father and looking back now, I recollect how while I was growing up he drilled these into us. %u201cBetter to be half an hour early, rather than half a minute late\constant refrain as we got ready to leave the house. While he was indulgent towards my brother, sister and me and never raised his voice on our mischief as children, he insisted that we treat everybody around us with kindness and gratitude. An enduring image that everyone has of PVG Raju is him being seated next to a stack of books with his transistor in the background, that broadcast the news, cricket commentary or music. He read voraciously on many deep topics, but would occasionally borrow my comic books when he wanted something lighter. He followed and patronized sports extensively. His love for pets, especially dogs, passed on to all of us in the house. When I came out from a critical surgery a few years ago, the first thing I asked my wife and daughters for was 3