Prem’Parents:
Shiv Narain/Radhay Rani  ( Children Prem N, Prakash N,Shushma, Krishna, Kusum Saroj.My parents were the most gentle, most considerate of mother’s Elfreda. Girls were treated
most gently except I will often push them around being proud of the only son then I would get advice from my mother and some thrashing from my father when he returned from court some time not in a very good mood if he lost the court case and even when he won the case against a poor farmer feeling sorry for him. Most of the time I got away with my excesses by making up with them or bribing the sisters by 5PM when father came home.On the other hand I was very protective of them and spoiled the younger sisters Saroj and Kusum. Shushma will take sisters side and I sometime had more arguments with her. Hope she had forgotten those, as today we are close and she is my news person and emissary to communicate with the rest of the family by periodic long distance calls. This is a credit to our parents as we followed their examples.
My Mother
Of all the people mother had the best sense of humor and strong Hindi Vedic religious views and very good sense of humor. That helped the family laugh off small problems and go through many adversities.Right after getting married. my parents moved to Gurgaon to practice law there. Then it was a one street dusty town (conditions not too different than those you see depicted in American Western movies).It was a major step down in her life style as my grand father was very well to do and a rich Chief Medical Surgeon and life probably was very comfortable as the only child at that time. Now as I think back she adjusted to that very well then being very happy family. Mother was extremely gentle person, yet somehow her word was last when it came to important decisions what my father use to say being being a lawyer. I must have inherited some of their values as I have been happily married to Biruta now for about 60 years, most marriages in USA last 10 to 15 years.Her mother died as she was at a young age(our first Nani ji had a unique history ad described in earlier section on grand parents but mother kept a secret from telling about her till very late that our other naniji was from a second marriage for two reasons.Second marriage by rumor were frowned upon and she did not want us to feel that second nani ji was a step Nani ji,
My Father
Son of a clerk my father grew up with his three brothers in a modest home.Initially he was a Math teacher then his oldest brother a famous kind lawyer in Gurgaon suggested to go into Law.Before marriage my mother, a very beautiful girl daughter of a famous Medical Surgeon, had two potential suitors, my father was a second choice among many.He won out for two reasons, I think. He completed law study with a 99% grade and at the top of a class of 25. The rich competition away away to get an English Barrister’s degree.
Strangely enough the Barrister was a good sport, layer he wanted his daughter’s engagement with me before I left for USA (Initially, I planned to go to England after my M.Sc where I had a scholarship offer).
My father got his guidance in law practice from my oldest Uncle Ram Richpal Tao Ji. He was very famous Lawyer in Gurgaon, and was considered as a saint in his religous views and guidance to people. I am the only one privileged to spend some time with him other than my father.Father started criminal law and was doing well, but was not happy often getting the bad guys win.He switched to civil.law practice
Through his kind nature and though the influence of Uncle he started a different kind of practice.In most cases farmers will litigate on small conflict and mostly on land boundaries and will nearly destroy themselves as proud and stubborn people.
We as kids felt our financial status degrading as father will settle arguments from both side without litigation and his fee would be a sack of potatoes or corn when we were expecting some money to go shopping. But it was a great satisfaction for father who became very popular in the region (District)politicians will often court him for his help. I would urge him to run for an influence state Senator but to no avail.
During India’s Independence riots all the Hindus were robbed of their property and valuables in Pakistan and there were may refugees in Gurgaon District. Of all the people my father was trusted and elected to have unlimited amount of funds to distribute and help the refugees. Still we were getting by most of the time on large sack of potatoes as his law income.We got accustomed to it as mother started cooking delicious but very hot potato curry ans potato filled bread (Aloo Ka Parathay) which became a popular dish when she was in America with us.\Father was so popular in Gurgaon that when he retired the court set up an office for him and he will go there fully dresses buy with a stream of young lawyers seeking advice from him about their cases. When they came to America, plan was for them to settle here. But they felt in America they were strangers in spite of grand children but they were more comfortable and respected in Gurgaon.
I ow my success in American Career due to may characteristics I inherited from my parents. Tolerance but firmness in my ideas, advanced plannings with focus on most important aspects , persistence, care for down trodden and layering(logic to sell new ideas math expertise and perhaps honesty to a point sometime annoying to people. Also to this day I would not and have not picked money sometime I found lying on the side walks or when store keeper made a mistake remembering when I snatched happily somebodies kite from my roof, my father made me return it to my distress and had a long talk about that.
My father had great desire for me to become engineer and also daughters to marry engineer and or become doctors. All the sisters were married to Engineers and I completed Engineering. To fulfill his final desire, my daughter Sandy, as promised him, has become a famous doctor.