Father To Son - III
N.V. Sampath to N.S. Raghavan

Dear Raghavan,

I write this letter to you at a very significant moment in our lives. As you very well know your grandfather left us with little to depend on. I am writing this letter to tell you why I am embarking upon what I am about to do.

My dear son, I spent much of my life suffering because my father had to travel constantly in his job. When he introduced me to his friend Gopal, at the fag end of his life, I thought he had finally done me one helpful deed in all his life. Unfortunately, I don't know if it were his stars that were cursed or mine that are, but in Mr. Gopal's employment I only found another master slaving me. I spent 8 months offering my services to him and came to the conclusion that it is futile to be in any one's employment if one is to get as far ahead as one hopes to. I decided to resign from the job because I saw no future there.

As you might remember I spent the fours years preceding that textile job working for The Bombay Burma Trading Corporation. I believe that the experience I gained there is the most valuable to date. Although The Bombay Burma Trading Corporation traded in many things including Tea, Coffee and spices, one of their most valuable trade commodities is Teak. Teak unlike Tea or Coffee cannot be cultivated, it is a natural resource that takes anywhere close to a century to develop. While I was working for Bombay Burma on the Teak trade, this timber totally fascinated me. Burma and Thailand along with India are one of the primary sources of this sturdy wood that last lifetimes and is yet beautiful to the eye when finished. Teak may not be the king of the forest but it is the pride of companies and homes the world over. I see a great future for us in this and have decided to invest my life's savings and my life itself into this.

I came to Rangoon, or Yangon as the locals call it, 12 days ago with the express purpose of starting our very own Teak wood business. I have been running around trying to buy from the locals but find that being one of the first Indians to trade in this business makes things difficult for me. It very much looks like I might have to take a few risks to get what I want.

Unlike my father I do not wish to disrupt your life in my quests. Teak is a common enough tree today in Burma but this won't last for long. Very soon we will have to go deep into the forests of Burma or Thailand to look for fine logs. There is great danger in this trade, but in life I have come to realize that nothing comes easy and the best things are the hardest earned. I cannot take my family with me right now but I promise you Raghavan, the best of lives when I'm finished. Your father will not disappoint you.

Things already look promising. I met a local today and that man apparently has connections with the tribes in the forest. These people know where the largest and oldest of these magnificent trees grow in the hearts of a green forest that still keeps its secrets from the prying eyes of the adventurous Europeans. Hopefully these trees will be standing when I get to them and if they are then they will be mine to claim. All I need is one tree to get started. I have even found a European buyer for what I might have to offer. All I need now is one tree and that will be the toughest to find.

Rest assured Raghavan your father will come back soon and you shall have all in your life that I failed to have. Perhaps if you complete your education you will be able to join me and assist in my endeavours. Until then I have a trail to cut into the forests of Burma; wait for my return, there is still hope for all of us.

Your loving Father,
N.V. Sampath