THE DAY AFTER THE FATHER'S DAY







Pic.:Anand Sreedhar


Yesterday was a Sunday… Early in the morning, I learnt that it was a ‘Father’s Day’. The first thought that crossed my mind was very funny one: ‘Who decides all these days… Who prepares this ‘special calendar’?”

My dad died in 1984… More than 30 years ago. I have written about him in so many of my blogs and spoken about him at so many places, that, for me, to post a blog on a Father’s Day wasn’t a task at all…

Still, I did not write a word yesterday… I didn’t feel like.

Did it make me a less deserving son of my late dad?


Incidentally, my 24-year-old ‘only son’ (who works in Pune) was here for a day. He had just returned after a two-week trip to Netherlands. He left for Pune at 7 in the evening, yesterday. We had long discussion through the day… and had spoken on many different issues. Interestingly, neither he had remembered to wish me ‘Happy Father’s Day’, nor was I expecting him to do that…

Did it make my son a less deserving one... or, me a less deserving father?

I had seen my son off at 7, last evening, when he left for Pune. Before he got into the waiting vehicle, he called me aside, pulled me close to him for a hug…and whispered softly ‘A Happy Father’s Day, dad.”

“Thanks puttah (son)”, I whispered back… I did feel good. Yes, the hug was priceless! And, the fact that my son had called me aside and quietly whispered it into my heart in his embrace had made it, truly, special!

Well, that’s about it… the so-called ‘Father’s Day’.

Today is Monday. It is 5 in the morning. I woke up fresh at 4 and had this strong urge in me to write about my Father’s Day experience… When I logged on, I happened to read this message from one of the senior citizens I had known:

“Aaj subah se Facebook per jitna pyar dad ke liye " Father’s Day" ke din dikhaya gaya hai us ka adha bi such ho jaye toh old-age homes bundh ho jayen.”

I do not know if it was a copy-paste message or an original one. But, this much I know, that it contained a great deal of bitter truth!

Thank-you dad… Thank-you son!


GERALD D’CUNHA


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