A Father’s Legacy of Love and Sacrifice

By| Farooq Ahmad Lone

My father, who has five children—three daughters and two sons—is a person of hard work and achievements. Despite various hardships, he has managed to care for his children well and provide us with education. Although he is illiterate, having had to leave school due to poverty and the insistence of his parents to start earning at an early age, my father has a deep love for education. He wanted his children to be highly educated so that we could shine bright in our careers.

The suffering he experienced as a carpenter profoundly motivated him to keep his children, especially his sons, focused on their studies. He wished to save us from a life of labor, full of pain and struggles, similar to his own in our valley.

Though my father could not ensure that my eldest sister received proper education for various reasons, he paid special attention to the education of the rest of us. However, fate posed challenges as my two sisters could not qualify for their matriculation exams despite multiple attempts. The main reason was the lack of resources to enroll them in good schools, hire tutors, and buy proper study materials. This is the dark side of my father’s story.

Yet there is a bright side as well. My elder brother and I managed to qualify for our matriculation exams with good marks and went on to excel in our higher secondary examinations in non-medical subjects. My elder brother continued his studies and gained admission to Kashmir University, the highest center of learning in our region, specializing in physics, a field with tremendous potential.

Fortune smiled on me in 2021 when I was appointed to the agriculture department of J&K after qualifying for the JKSSB exam while in my second year of college. This achievement validated the worth of education in our family and was the fruit of my father’s years of effort and sacrifice. The garden my father had invested in for years finally began to bear fruit and flowers.

However, all was not well. My brother, despite holding an MSC in physics, has struggled to qualify for any recruitment exams from JKSSB or other boards, despite applying several times. This has brought grief and despair to my father, who wishes to see his children succeed. Yet, hope keeps his desires alive and continues to grow. My father prays for my brother’s success in the recruitment exams and asks others to do so as well. This illustrates the deep love parents hold for their children.

I believe we can never fully repay the debt we owe our parents in the form of love and sacrifice. I hope my elder brother will qualify for the recruitment exam in the future, bringing joy to our father and our entire family. That day will undoubtedly be the happiest day of my father’s life.

My father also wishes to see his children married sooner, fulfilling what he views as a parental responsibility. He leaves no stone unturned to ensure our happiness, wanting to provide a life where there is no room for complaints. This exemplifies the idea that “the love of our parents is without interest and full of investment for us,” a concept I term “Interestless Investment.”

Additionally, my father harbors a strong desire to perform Hajj, the pilgrimage every capable Muslim is obliged to undertake. This aspiration, shared by many Muslims regardless of their financial status, is a testament to his devotion to God. My father’s desire to visit Makkah and Madina and pray for our family, our nation, and the entire Muslim Ummah reflects the intensity of his faith.

May all his sincere wishes come true. Ameen.

About Author: Farooq Ahmad Lone is an ignou student in BA. He writes on international relations, social, religious and cultural issues. He can be reached at lonefarooqahmad80@gmail.com