Pappa turned 75 day before yesterday. Glorious 75. Glorious because he is healthy and happy. Healthy enough to play a round of golf everyday, happy enough to socialize, go on picnics...............Nothing can give me more peace of mind when it comes to him than the knowledge that he is healthy and happy.
My parents live alone, my brother and I in two different places. Their being healthy means a lot.
I feel happy when I think of Pappa, happy because I know he is fine. When I talk to him, there is so much to catch up on - how his game was, any pars, who he played with. What their plans were, were they going to a friend's or relative's house or were they just staying home. We discuss the latest happenings in our world, we talk about the fish he bought. We talk about just about anything. I cannot imagine things being any other way. The childhood phrase 'my daddy strongest' still holds true for me - true even when he is 75 and me 40. He will always be my pappa and I will always be his little girl!
Pappa taught me to earn my privileges right from when I was very young. He was in the army. We always had many helping hands at home. We called them 'bhaiyas'. Technically the bhaiya/ sevadar/ batman is detailed for the officer, to ensure that he is fine, that his uniform is set, the shoes polished, the decorations 'brassoed'. However, generally these bhaiyas end up doing many things in the house, one among them being polishing all the shoes in the household. I remember there was an instance when I was dressed to go to school and had unpolished shoes on. Pappa asked the reason for my turnout and when I responded that I was wondering if bhaiya would polish my shoes. Pappa didn't say a word. I went to school with the unpolished shoes on. After that day polishing all the shoes - Pappa's, my brothers and mine was my duty. I really had no choice. White shoes used to be 'blankoed' those days, it was a messy affair, I hated it, yet I did it. I learned how to polish black shoes and how to use a flannel on them such that they shone to the point of reflecting! I learned that for brass to really shine it works best if you apply 'brasso' keep the object/decoration in the sun and then rub it gently with a very soft cloth - preferably flannel. I also learned that to get the black shoes and the brass to shine the hosiery vest worked just as fine if there was no flannel. Above all I learned something called dignity of labour and also more importantly that just because something is my father's be it a material good, money, privilege it certainly does not imply that it is mine as well to enjoy.I learned that I had to work hard to earn it all.
I remember the first songs Pappa taught me - Bachelor Boy and Que Sera Sera. It would be a sing along session. Even now when I hear these songs I associate them with Pappa and they continue to be very close to my heart.
If there is one thing I could hold back it would be time, time in terms of Pappa and Mamma growing older. But each time I see him after a gap of a few months I realize that time is ticking. He is greyer, eyes sunk in deeper, hearing a little more strained. There is nothing I can do about it, I'm helpless!!
It is a frightening thought. I cannot imagine a time when I will not be able to pick up the phone and say "Hi Pappu'.
My parents live alone, my brother and I in two different places. Their being healthy means a lot.
I feel happy when I think of Pappa, happy because I know he is fine. When I talk to him, there is so much to catch up on - how his game was, any pars, who he played with. What their plans were, were they going to a friend's or relative's house or were they just staying home. We discuss the latest happenings in our world, we talk about the fish he bought. We talk about just about anything. I cannot imagine things being any other way. The childhood phrase 'my daddy strongest' still holds true for me - true even when he is 75 and me 40. He will always be my pappa and I will always be his little girl!
Pappa taught me to earn my privileges right from when I was very young. He was in the army. We always had many helping hands at home. We called them 'bhaiyas'. Technically the bhaiya/ sevadar/ batman is detailed for the officer, to ensure that he is fine, that his uniform is set, the shoes polished, the decorations 'brassoed'. However, generally these bhaiyas end up doing many things in the house, one among them being polishing all the shoes in the household. I remember there was an instance when I was dressed to go to school and had unpolished shoes on. Pappa asked the reason for my turnout and when I responded that I was wondering if bhaiya would polish my shoes. Pappa didn't say a word. I went to school with the unpolished shoes on. After that day polishing all the shoes - Pappa's, my brothers and mine was my duty. I really had no choice. White shoes used to be 'blankoed' those days, it was a messy affair, I hated it, yet I did it. I learned how to polish black shoes and how to use a flannel on them such that they shone to the point of reflecting! I learned that for brass to really shine it works best if you apply 'brasso' keep the object/decoration in the sun and then rub it gently with a very soft cloth - preferably flannel. I also learned that to get the black shoes and the brass to shine the hosiery vest worked just as fine if there was no flannel. Above all I learned something called dignity of labour and also more importantly that just because something is my father's be it a material good, money, privilege it certainly does not imply that it is mine as well to enjoy.I learned that I had to work hard to earn it all.
I remember the first songs Pappa taught me - Bachelor Boy and Que Sera Sera. It would be a sing along session. Even now when I hear these songs I associate them with Pappa and they continue to be very close to my heart.
If there is one thing I could hold back it would be time, time in terms of Pappa and Mamma growing older. But each time I see him after a gap of a few months I realize that time is ticking. He is greyer, eyes sunk in deeper, hearing a little more strained. There is nothing I can do about it, I'm helpless!!
It is a frightening thought. I cannot imagine a time when I will not be able to pick up the phone and say "Hi Pappu'.
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