My dearest daddy,
With Father's Day approaching in an hour or two, I would
like to take few moments from you to acknowledge my never-ending gratitude for
all that you have done and continue to do for me.
You have been the first in my life to love me to bits and
also teach me what self-giving is all about.
Anybody can become a biological father at twenty four, but being
a dad isn't a cakewalk. A dad creates immense impact on his daughter's life
and his actions leave a split image of himself on her mind for the decades to
come. At times it has been hard for me too, to overcome that so 'close
to-perfect' impression of yours that I had been looking out for to reflect in other men all these years. I know, no dad is perfect, yet you have played and justified your mantle in a manner that has considerably swept me off my feet.
I can't remember a phase in my life when you haven't been
there - as my best friend as well as my greatest protector. It goes without
saying, withstanding my favorite cheesy Bollywood movies from the late eighties
and early nineties must have been excruciatingly painful, and that you would
rather prefer watching the cricket match then. You took it all to your stride
possibly because I had to learn the most powerful life lesson from this episode
- When you love someone unconditionally, you start accepting everything about
that person, solely owing to the fact that the love overpowers your personal
likes and dislikes.
From guiding me how to stand on my own feet and ride a
bicycle side by side of you, as you rode your bike through the dense tea
plantations, I know, it did hurt you every time I fell off my seat and the heap
of coals in front of the factory often chafed my little palm. A father, once,
undertakes the oath of safeguarding his daughter through thick and thin, he
also has to muster the art of loosening his grip on his little girl's pace. He
trains her in self-defense and self-assertion. That is exactly what you did, yet never missed a chance to keep a
constant watch on my footsteps. As my fondness for the Cinderella tale kept
growing, you also familiarized me with 'The Old Man and the Sea'. While I
thoroughly enjoyed remaining a Barbie girl in the Barbie world, you prepared me
for the inevitability of those upcoming challenges of life through your narration of
many such anecdotes. You ensured that I just do not end up cocooned within my
house of cards and worse than vulnerable in any circumstance that could be
volatile and a sheer test my strength.
When I started my schooling, I wanted you there all the time
next to me. When mum got me refreshments during recess, I looked forward to a
surprise visit from you. Those were the days you were located in a faraway land
yet you never compromised on your role of my personal tutor. Be it literature,
mathematics or the theories on dissecting the peas in the study of Life
Science, I guess I can state that you have been ceaselessly coaching me for the
class internals and the bigger examinations to be taken later in life.
Whether it was a school play, sporting event, annual
functions marking my progress in facing the audience and performing arts in
form of classical dance or reciting a self-composed literary piece, to be
precise, any defining moment in my life, you’ve always been the first amongst
my biggest fans, simultaneously, my biggest critic. Every single time I come
to a halt, I hope I make you proud with my chin up.
There have been times when I just wanted to take the leap
and prove you wrong since you chose to be deeply skeptical. I remember on
asking your opinion on guys, knowing deep down I won’t be able to commit
without your approval, you'll at first, put a bug in my ear about all the
probabilities, and then allow me to set my foot in wherever I wanted to be and
whatever I wanted to do.
I might have failed to decipher your ardent penchant for
following those post-dinner socio-political debates, but those were the times I
needed to call you the maximum number of times to discuss and resolve issues at
work. Not that you cared less about fashion, it certainly might not have been a soft spot
for you to listen to my fetish for different nail arts and then receive an
image of the same every now and then via Blackberry messenger.
My eyes bugged out when you suggested that I wear less
make-up. But sooner I realized why you did so - I knew it was because you
wanted the world to see my inner beauty. At times it was awkward when you
demanded me to invite my date over for a cup of coffee with you just before I
stepped out with him, but now I understand you simply wanted to make sure I was in good
hands.
As much as I want to thank you, I also want to apologize for
any grey hairs I have caused you in the past. Now that you have got me settled
and secure in care of a dutiful and doting man half your age, but possessing
attributes similar to those of yours, I hope to render a dad like
mine to the little heart when I become a mom. At the same time I can't deny
there’s still a long future ahead of me screwing up and running to you for help.
Thanks to the Apple device that connects me to you in a long distance
counseling session. Also, please do not be annoyed when I ask your views a
couple of years down the line on my dealings in a Parents'-Teacher's meeting in
case of a highly mischievous two-legged mini devil. When it comes down to it, you know how much
your approval and guidelines mean to me. Love you to the moon and back! Thank you for being my daddy.
Yours sincerely,
daddy's little princess.
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