Love is bliss …! – Gopalan Balachandran, IAS

Q: Please tell us about your family …

A: If I am able to carry out my official responsibilities to the best of my ability, all the credit should go to my family only! The foundation of a multi-storey building will not be visible. Similarly, the roots of a huge and tall tree are also not visible outwardly. I thank Light Foundation for giving me an opportunity to let others know about the greatness of my family members. My wife Bhanumathi also belongs to Thirunelveli. She is a postgraduate in English literature and German language. She teaches German and is a translator too. My parents are very close to her. She takes utmost care of them when I am away on official tour. I’ve only one child, a son, called Vasanth. He has done MBA and is employed with a multinational company in Bangalore. As I was very busy in my office work during his younger days, it was my wife who looked after him and took care of all his affairs. When he got married, we felt very happy that our daughter-in-law would be our daughter thereafter. Our daughter-in-law Divya belongs to Rajasthan State. She studied with my son and my son married her with our consent. Divya is very affectionate towards us taking care of each and every need of us. Right from preparing hot coffee for us in the morning she does everything with utmost care and concern for us. She would call us ‘Dad, mom’, considering us as her own parents. Ours is a happy joint family. My son and daughter-in-law both wanted to live with us even after their marriage. This is indeed a great thing! I really thank God for giving me such a nice wife, very good son and daughter-in-law. God has given me an opportunity to do good to those around me with the help of my position and authority. I believe if we do service to others we’ll be happy and peaceful in our personal life too.

Q: what is your advice to the newly married couples in today’s software era?

A: I can share my experiences. Both the man and the woman should learn to appreciate the good things in the other person. Family is a beautiful concept. We might be great people in our field, but it is always our wife who comforts us during times of adversity and sorrow. I feel peaceful and happy on returning home from office. The advice to the present generation couples is – “Do not express your views during minor tiffs. When your partner cools down, you can express your mind. He/she will surely understand and change his/her mind and behavior. We can certainly bring back the happiness that was available during old days.”

Some people become teachers; some people become role models! Today’s generation requires role models like Balachandran.