Dehradun, April 29 -- He was a man who always appeared to be in a hurry. But he was also a man who seemed to find enough time to teach the kids around him things which he valued. In an age when women hardly stepped out of their homes to work, he often said, "Your mother will teach you the dos and don'ts of life at home. Your father won't have time to teach you those. What you will learn from him will be from the way he conducts his life, and from his interactions with people. So listen to your Mom and watch your Dad."

And so it was. The way he dressed, the way he walked, his generosity, the way he dealt with people. One could see how hard he worked - he was on his toes all the time.

Not everything about him was worth learning though. He...