MY DAD’S BEST INVESTMENT

Unlike my mother, my father has always believed in living for today and never worried much about saving for tomorrow. But there is this one investment of his, made 30 years ago, which has turned out to be a’ multi bagger’ investment.

My mother was perpetually worried about not owning a house and finally convinced my father to buy a small two bedroom flat in Madurai after 15 years of their marriage. The next step was to find a tenant for the house, which my father requested a well wisher to do. He did not meet the tenant but decided to give him the house.
The deeds were signed; rent fixed and 6 months of rent was taken as advance. Since my father was not the investment type he put the 6 months of advance into an FD (fixed deposit) in a safe bank paying ‘equal to nothing’ interest. This too he did only because my mother did not let him touch the money and asked him to invest it somewhere to be used for a good purpose at a later date.

With this, the amount was forgotten about, till they went back to occupy the house after about 8 years. The tenant was requested to vacate the house and as per the rules, daddy had to return the advance amount .My mom had decided to buy some furniture with the interest the small amount would have earned.

Dad had different plans.

The bank returned the amount and dad gave back uncle (the tenant) the principal and 50% of the interest the money had earned. Mom was aghast but daddy said what he did was just right and that she should be happy that he had not given the complete interest to uncle!!
After all it was his money that had earned the interest. More than my mother the tenant uncle was shocked/ surprised that my father was magnanimous enough to share the interest with him.

From that day their relationship from that of owner and tenant turned to that of two good friends. Uncle stared visiting our house regularly and helped my parents to settle down in the house and in Madurai both of which were new to them. He would come and tell them about the rules of society and would take them to the right place to get the right things. My parents would often tell him not to go out of the way but he would always say”
How can I forget Col‘s (my father was retired colonel from armed forces hence he was nicknamed) magnanimity, he shared the interest with me (that too in today’s times when your own people try to loot you). It was his money, where do you come across such people!”

Every Christmas uncle would send us Christmas cake, whenever he went to the market he would find out if my parents needed anything. Every time my parents came to visit me he would sincerely take care of their house and water the plants, sometimes for more than a month.

My father suffered a stroke and uncle was with him in the hospital till I reached to be with him. Daddy lost a lot of his memory and was not his own self and till this date uncle while crossing our house inquires about daddy and asks my mother if she needs anything from the market as my father does not venture out much.

Uncle while clearing his bills clears my parents also so that my mother need not stand in long lines for hours leaving my father alone in the house. Some times when my mother looks back she says the the best investment my father has ever made was sharing the interest with uncle and no other investment would have got him such rich dividends throughout his life.

Have you seen a better investment?
I haven’t, especially in today’s times when no investment is safe.
The interest the advance had earned was Rs300 out of which my father had given uncle Rs150!!!
Dad’s investment is definitely a multi bagger !! I am sure you will agree with me as he invested this money. He always disliked investment as an option however his foresight and his dislike for investment prompted me to share this story.

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