Farewell, my dear father, Farewell!

Ch. Veino Duomai ( 14th Sept. 1932- 29th June, 2012) was one of the five children born to my grandparents. His parents were pagans when he was born. On 12th Feb. 1944, his parents migrated and formed a new village along with six other families as they became followers of Jesus Christ. He obediently followed his parents to a new place and the God of his parents became his God too. His parents sent him to a very distant place to get education. Unfortunately his way to higher education was cut short as his father expired when the children were still young. He could finish his formal education only till High School!

My beloved parents in 2011

By the time he reached his twenties, he became a fine sportsperson. He participated in various sport items at the inter-village level competition. He composed several songs too. He served as the Director for the Khyoubuhamai church choir and also for the Paomata Choir. For over fifty years, he also provided medical care to several thousands of people. Even people from different neighbouring villages and communities came to get medical treatment from him. I have seen people coming to call him even in the middle of an icy cold winter night due to certain illness in their family. Many a time even people from other villages would call him home right after his school or from the church or from the field. How he came to posses such skill & knowledge on healthcare system remains a mystery. Whether it was God's gift or whether it was through sheer hard work or whether it was a combination of both, his contribution to healthcare in the surrounding area was significant. Of all the things he did he, however, earned his livelihood by teaching in a Government school. Since there were hardly educated people then, the few people who were as educated as he was contributed to the growth of literacy rate in the region tremendously.

My dad was a man of few words. He remained apolitical all his life. And because of his non-involvement in politics, he avoided controversy. One of the remarkable features is that he loved my mom so much. And yes, he loved his children too. I remember him putting me to sleep in his back ( piggyback) when I was ill. I was probably four or five then. I also remember him carrying me to the team of medical doctors who had once come to the village to vaccinate the children of the village. That was when I was just six or seven. All of his children, however, he must have cared Jethro the most. Jethro, his second son and who became a paralytic at the age of one and remained so till his death at 32. Ziirai Jethro truly deserved that much care. Dad, we knew that you were doing the right thing then! 

Ten days back I was in the village. Dad has then been sleeping for almost 17-18 hours a day. He was running out of energy to remain awake for long and talk with people. He asked me to support him sit up for sometime. This time, for a change, he leaned on me. We talked about Jesus. And I asked him once more if he has truly accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and God. " Yes, I truly do", he said. He breathed his last on this side of the world at 6.22 pm on 29th June,, 2012. 

Of all the things he achieved and performed, I regard his decision to follow Jesus Christ as his Lord and God to be the wisest one. I believe it is because of his faith in Jesus Christ, he did the good things he did. And it is because of this faith in Jesus Christ that his death is not the end though for now I say, "farewell, my dear father, farewell! Your children will miss you."