Not Everybody Who does Gambling is a Gambler

By Rima

Gambling they say is a vice, a bad vice rather. True! but how often do we actually stop to think about why any person ventures into gambling even though it is considered bad ? Is it purely for fun or does it have some other deep-rooted reason as well? A person who gambles is very easily termed as A Gambler...but how many of us actually spare time to figure out why a simple normal person suddenly becomes a gambler? There could be much more to just fun and squandering money.. It may be fun for the rich or just a ray of hope for the poor!! Hope?? Yes! Hope. One such story of a helpless and loving father... Sounds surprising... But true. It is the story of my own father.

My dad was born in a rich and affluent family, only son of rich parents, very highly qualified and a very handsome personality. However the main problem of his life was money. Sounds strange? It's true!! His mother (my grandmother) saw to it that she took all his salary for home expenses and left him with no money, a biological mother who was worse than a stepmother. My innocent father would hand over the money to her for home and family expenses. A dominating mother and dominating mother in law that she was, she never ever gave any money to my father or my mother to enjoy themselves, go out or anything of that sort. A young couple (my dad and mom) had all their desires suppressed by my grandmother. She would entertain all the guests and friends but saw to it that her son and daughter in law begged to her for money, clothes and even basic necessities.

How long would this continue? Not very long and there started being tense moments in the home, arguments and quarrels over money. All this took toll on my dad's health and he decided to leave the house along with my mom, my older sister and me, took up another job in another place and stayed there. As luck would have it, he was faced with ill health, lightening struck and he was down with heart attack. Wherever he went for job interviews, he was selected, offered higher pays and finally when he was asked to undergo medical clearance test, he would fail the medical test and subsequently lose the offer. He tried and tried but in vain and had to continue in his same job.

Now burdened with his wife and two kids, he had to run his own new house that he took up on rent, family expenditures, children's education... All this combined with his weak heart was taking toll on his health...But a brave and courageous man that he was he fought like a tiger, worked all day, while my mother slogged to give me and my sister education, and a great childhood. His handwork was affecting his health, but he worked and worked to make ends meet. He lost his promotion chance as they said he was genius but did not have the health to manage the workload, which the new post would offer him.

This frustrated him all the more. Seeing his wife slog for the family without any complaints, his ill health weakening his body and not getting him a higher position and absolutely no help from his wealthy parents, he was completely frustrated. He was slogging to make ends meet and wanted to buy his kids new toys, new clothes, sweets and chocolates to eat, he also wanted to buy my mother new clothes and fulfill all her suppressed wishes, but was helpless.

Seeing my mother struggle with a stove and burn her fingers he wanted to buy her a gas stove at least, so where would he instantly get the money from? How would he arrange for the money? What would he do? His ill health was taking its toll and so was the want for money. He went to earn at least some amount of money for the sake of the gas and he did...he won a small sum of money and went and got a new gas stove, a pressure cooker and also some chocolates for the kids. On learning this, his mother instantly called him a Gambler... Yes, he did do some gambling.. What's wrong in that? Can he be termed as a gambler? or as a helpless father who wants to see his children happy ? Or a caring husband who wants to give his wife some amount of comfort and safety? When he has no other means of getting the money he tried his luck, there is nothing wrong in that. Every time such incidents occurred he resorted to the same thing. Gambling! Though my mom time and again stopped him from doing what he did, what else could he do?

Growing kids, increase in cost of living, ill health and a flat career all contributed for this act. Every father wants to give his kids the best in life, and his wife all the comforts. His efforts did not work but he tried. He was not always lucky, but he tried and when ever he got some money he bought something... But the main thing to be noted is that he never spent even a single rupee on himself, he never bought anything for himself. His efforts and my mothers slogging made me an engineer and an MBA and my sister a doctor. Today me and my sister are working and want to give him all that he deserved and did not get when he was young, but all that we can give him today is just respect as he is no more to see his efforts paying off. His mother termed him a gambler, but I termed him as a winner, one whom I salute! How I wish he could gamble and extend his life a little longer to see a comfortable old age!!!