I am going to let him shine!

 It was the year 2002. My paternal grandmother had succumbed to cancer after a twenty-day-long fight. Baba appeared strong but we knew how much he missed her.

Well, my grandmother had never preferred him. It was always her firstborn that she doted upon. My father, her younger son, was left to fend for himself. During her last days, my grandmother was ill-treated by the very son she had always favoured. Circumstances forced her to leave the house where she lived. My father, the usually quiet man, revealed his proper side when he took up cudgels to fight for his mother's rights.

Grandmother spent the last three years of her life with my father in peace and comfort.

That was the only solace for my father. But most evenings, after her death, we would observe him climbing up to the terrace and sitting quietly.

He would probably think of his childhood, his parents and maybe, the agony thrust upon him. During those pensive moments, Ma would tell us to stay away and give him privacy.

Losing one's parents was not easy.

It was November 2002. One fine morning, we saw Baba sawing wood on the terrace. We asked questions but he evaded them all, saying that only time would reveal.

That evening, we saw him mount a bamboo pole in one corner on the terrace of our two-storeyed house and then hang a bulb from it. Once it was up, it emitted a dull yellow light.

"What's this, Baba?" We asked again.

Ma was standing nearby. She smiled and told us that this was an Akashprodeep.

Akash is the sky while prodeep is the lamp. The guiding lamp. The lamps illuminate the path.

"Which path? For whom? Us?" We asked.

"No, for our ancestors. The month of Kartik is supposed to be the holiest of all months when our ancestors remain in close proximity with us. The akashprodeep illuminates their journey to earth and back to their realm."

That night as we admired the Akashprodeep which Baba had set up, we couldn't help but appreciate this custom of ours. The fact that our ancestors who are our greatest well-wishers are around us, keeping a close watch over us and guiding us in our journey on earth sounded so peaceful.

Since then, every year we set up an Akashprodeep and remember the souls that reside up there.

This year, having lost Baba in January,  I know that he is there...always guiding me. The Akashprodeep will be for my dear Baba...lighting the path as he transcends the layers towards mukti, salvation!

Rest in peace, dear Baba....! You have always been my strength and you will always remain so!