India, Sept. 29 -- Doctor Sandhu was once the man no one trifled with. Stern, razor-sharp, and unsparing with both words and expectations, he built his life around three sacred pillars: Academics, discipline and duty. He could silence a room with one glance and motivate an entire household with a single, strategically timed cough.

As a flourishing physician, occasional political dabbler, and globetrotting intellectual, his energy was legendary. His daughters grew up toeing the line, bolstered by weekly spelling tests, colour-coded revision charts, and the ever-looming threat of: "No outings until final exams are over." School attendance was non-negotiable - even on rainy days, with fevers and the flu.

Then came the third grandchild. The...