Can you please spare few minutes to read the story of a humble soul?

Yes Friends... His paintings have reached far away places on this planet, his students have become the celebrities in this world, but he is still the same 'down to earth' person, a simple and humble soul as before!!

He is none other than my beloved father, and @firepower's grandfather Mr. Gangadhar Rao Kodikal.

I've started writing about him on this platform with the pics of his great Artwork in my series of posts # Meet my Dad and look at his Artwork.

He worked as a drawing teacher in a Government School, and after his retirement he opened his own Art School and has taught drawing and painting to a huge number of students. He is having his students spread over various parts of the world, who still have a lot of respect for him. They never mind meeting him even now though some of them have become the great celebrities!!

One such celebrity is 'Master Chef Vikas Khanna'. An internationally known chef with Michelin starred fame.
He was a favorite student of my Dad somewhere in the 90's for one or two years, but he still remembers my Dad. Once in a year in the month of April, when he comes to Manipal, he makes it a point to meet my Dad and takes his blessings even now. This is the photo of one such occasion last year.I've seen even some other students of my Dad, who often call him even now, and talk with great respect, love and care.

Though he was leading a very poor life then, he never charged a great amount of fee to teach art and painting. For those who were not able to pay fee, he never minded teaching them for free. Mom was an ideal wife to him and she used to supply food from her kitchen for those poor children who were coming to Dad's school to study Artwork.

You know my dear Friends, the only vehicle my Dad had was a second hand bicycle. He had it until his 70s,then he sold it.

My hard work and a good job has fetched me many luxuries in life. When I first learned driving about 20 years ago and I made him sit in my Maruti 800, it was his life's greatest pleasure then.

Now though he likes to sit in my small car Maruti Alto, he feels more happy and comfortable with my son @firepower, in his beautiful Ford Fiesta. Whenever my son calls him for a drive, he soon agrees and gets ready with great pleasure.!!

One more thing which has inspired me much about my Dad is though he had brothers, who were much more rich, he took the responsibility of looking after his parents and they (my grandparents) preferred to stay with us until their last days.

So it is my duty now to take care of my parents and to see them happy and healthy.

I've told my Dad about this platform and I have started to write about his Artwork. Am daily showing him the comments I receive for my posts. He feels so happy when he gets some praise for the real hard work he has done throughout his life time.

So my dear Friends... Please check my blogs daily, even if you vote with 1% upvote it's fine. But please read the entire series, have a look at his Artwork, and please don't forget to leave a comment, which in fact reaches my Dad and makes him happy at this age.:)

He has received a number of prizes and honors for his Artwork. Also he has managed to get the appreciation and autograph of our first Prime Minister Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, on the portrait he made in 1957. I am going to load these details in my future blogs.

**With much love and regards to each and every one on this platform, @geetharao **.