Receiving a letter is one of the rarest thing we expect these days from a surface mail, as time has changed, rapidly making a pace for the latest communication technologies to occupy our time with.
In the evening of life, nearing to retirement from a regular job, it is a gift to receive a letter from a son on the birthday, remembering all those days gone by, from an innocent eye of a growing child as recorded in his memories....
is a gift as well as a history of a father toiling hard in the fast competing world.
Things change with passing of every single day, when it comes to fathoming 20-30 years. Certainly there are many things which we cherished earlier, but they have lost luster and probably outdated and unknown to these days.
So are here in this letter, namely....scooter, record player, EP's and LP's, cassettes, initial dial-up slow internet connection of early days, floppies....etc.
Here are his words.... a child recalling his observations for his days with father, as he grew up with and now is a young man of 22 years.
-Anjani
To, DD (daddy)- Happy B'day Appa (papa)
Appa, a good life and to enjoy it, for so many of people is:
"to have a wife, two self-sufficing children, one's parent by their side, their well being and happiness, blessings and their experiences to listen to, a few books, some socially productive work to do and keep busy for, to read books, have a few hobbies, a tree to call one's own."
That's what the majority dreams of and for so many of them it's a dream they know will never come true....
"Clean, guiltless, free, fearless conscience, a garden which is self grown and pruned, mountains to look to, some selfless people to call friends whom one can visit and who remember you too in your good as well as bad days, having a scooter and possessing it for a long old 25 years (so called stupid and immature in society's terms, but they don't know what it feels to be a 'Wind Walker', with a careless and free majestic ride), kid's fearless courage to cruise in the clouds and rain ('Mainpat'), food to eat, money to survive and to give to people as and when needed, keeping healthy, an old-age old radio, a record player and the un-distorted-surviving-unbent LP's & EP's in a caring hand, few CD's, a slow internet connection which test's one's patience and yet reminds us of the dial-up days at 'Sitapur Goverment Boys Higher Secondary School Lab' (with that peculiar smell of new electronics) and yet is so faster than that. People in unknown places who still love and respect you, people such as 'Netram' who call you 'Saheb' and with same jest and respect will call your kids 'Chota Saheb' and 'Maharaj' or 'Gullu Pandit', a few students spread here and there all over the world who really are obliged' you taught them and owe you their lives and still do respect at the firstest of glance, whose reflex system has you embedded than brain, who say 'padaam sir' (Indian greetings) or put down their 'police lathis' (during their duty hours in their Police service);-) ; Quilt and blankets in cold, combination of clothes, a pair of battered (from outside :-P) but surely comfortable inside - the old comfortable shoes.
Moist, cold and humid environment with a few friendly spores of fungus floating around and causing a few allergic problems to make it not-all-good and hence a real life-like, a DSLR to give to appreciative eyes, few good old photographs and bitter sweet memories to remember, stories of 'brain-lara' and 'ghost by the lake' (aruna bua), appreciative yet easy to help 'Chhattisgadhiya' (folks of Chhattisgarh state in India) people around, aadiwasees (tribals), khapde wala ghar (clay tiled house), time to think, material (of intellectual kind) to enjoy, ingest and digest, some frogs making orchestra of weird sounds,' adventurous 'chunaao' (election duty) trips not to forget the dark, evil monsoon eves."
What else does the heart of man desire ! Some experiences might be missing, things won't be perfect (but they are meant not to), some yet to come, some unfulfilled dreams, unsaid stories, undone acts, dreams-desires, but all these dare not make it any less than a phenomenal life.
Do everything you wish appa, buy a car, roam around...anything and everything, have lots of experiences, live them, love them, cherish them and forget not to have a gracious
HAPPY BIRTH DAY - APPA
and even better, more thrilling, explorative, adventurous, curiosity filled days ahead so that one can boast of it at least in heaven ;-) and admire it.
With best of wishes.
With best of wishes.
-Rana Tigrina
