After struggling through my engineering - having failed in few subjects and getting just pass marks in various other subjects, I finally got placed in an MNC. I was very excited. Excited for the thought that now I'd be PAID for the work I'd do, for the thought that I'd be paying tax and contributing to the growth of the country. You can not imagine how happy I was! It was something very exciting for a boy from a remote village, for a boy who never read Dhruv, Nagraj...comics until engineering, for a boy who never watched TV because there was electricity in the village and so there was no TV...
Well I booked tatkal ticket for home. I reached home in the evening after 41 hours of journey and my mother opened the door and I broke the big news to her. She just hugged me. There would never be a great joy for a mother than seeing her son standing on his own feet. I went inside and told my father the big news. He smiled casually and congratulated me and that's it - no hugging, no big hahaha you did it or I am proud of you or something more emotional. I was simply disapointed. I could not get angry on him for I always had great respect for him and the way he respected my every decision. But I did not get it.
I had food and went to sleep but could not sleep. The excitement of 'getting PAID for the work I'd do, for the thought that I'd be paying tax and contributing to the growth of the country' was gone.
For a couple of days I observed my father is behaving a little different. He never orders us for anything ever. He'd just put an statment like for instance he wants any of us to get vegetable from our farm he'd say - "If we could get some tomotoes from Gainda*" and not like "Pappu go get some tomatoes" or something like that. But since I have arrived home he's complaining and scolding me for everything I am doing. Like 'this is not time to read news paper', 'Communists are no good' if I am talking something good about communism, and things like that. And I started to think if I have done something really bad. I mean I just cracked interview of one of the best MNC in our country, is it bad? I was totally tensed- what has happened to father.
Next morning I was having breakfast and my mother was sitting there in case I needed another helping. I could not stop me with complaining about father's behavior in last couple of days; since I have arrived home. I never complained about my father even in my thought. But I could not resist complaining this time - "Mother, why father is behaving so differently?".
To this my mother started smiling - "He is very happy and very proud of you! That's why".
And then I started thinking about my childhood. I was very close to my father right since my childhood. I would always have dinner with him; in fact the dinner would be served for both of us in the same plates. He'd be sitting in a single position having food and I'd change my sitting position with every niwala and every interesting thing he'd say. We'd talk about various things over dinner.
I started thinking all the ocassions during my childhood when I had done something really good like - getting highest marks in school when I was in 8th standard, coming 2nd in a quiz where most of the participants were graduates or post graduates when I was in 9th grade, my article got published in news paper when I was in 9th grade, I topped the math quiz.
Every time the behavior of father was like this. But then I was kid and was very much involved with so many things and never noticed it.
And now I see the pattern. I discovered a different way to show love!
*Gainda is the name of the farm nearest to our house. Ye we have name for each of land peice that we have like - Baluapar, RamratanBhaiWala- for it was bought from Ram Ratan bhai by my grandfather
Well I booked tatkal ticket for home. I reached home in the evening after 41 hours of journey and my mother opened the door and I broke the big news to her. She just hugged me. There would never be a great joy for a mother than seeing her son standing on his own feet. I went inside and told my father the big news. He smiled casually and congratulated me and that's it - no hugging, no big hahaha you did it or I am proud of you or something more emotional. I was simply disapointed. I could not get angry on him for I always had great respect for him and the way he respected my every decision. But I did not get it.
I had food and went to sleep but could not sleep. The excitement of 'getting PAID for the work I'd do, for the thought that I'd be paying tax and contributing to the growth of the country' was gone.
For a couple of days I observed my father is behaving a little different. He never orders us for anything ever. He'd just put an statment like for instance he wants any of us to get vegetable from our farm he'd say - "If we could get some tomotoes from Gainda*" and not like "Pappu go get some tomatoes" or something like that. But since I have arrived home he's complaining and scolding me for everything I am doing. Like 'this is not time to read news paper', 'Communists are no good' if I am talking something good about communism, and things like that. And I started to think if I have done something really bad. I mean I just cracked interview of one of the best MNC in our country, is it bad? I was totally tensed- what has happened to father.
Next morning I was having breakfast and my mother was sitting there in case I needed another helping. I could not stop me with complaining about father's behavior in last couple of days; since I have arrived home. I never complained about my father even in my thought. But I could not resist complaining this time - "Mother, why father is behaving so differently?".
To this my mother started smiling - "He is very happy and very proud of you! That's why".
And then I started thinking about my childhood. I was very close to my father right since my childhood. I would always have dinner with him; in fact the dinner would be served for both of us in the same plates. He'd be sitting in a single position having food and I'd change my sitting position with every niwala and every interesting thing he'd say. We'd talk about various things over dinner.
I started thinking all the ocassions during my childhood when I had done something really good like - getting highest marks in school when I was in 8th standard, coming 2nd in a quiz where most of the participants were graduates or post graduates when I was in 9th grade, my article got published in news paper when I was in 9th grade, I topped the math quiz.
Every time the behavior of father was like this. But then I was kid and was very much involved with so many things and never noticed it.
And now I see the pattern. I discovered a different way to show love!
*Gainda is the name of the farm nearest to our house. Ye we have name for each of land peice that we have like - Baluapar, RamratanBhaiWala- for it was bought from Ram Ratan bhai by my grandfather
thanks for following me KK :)
ReplyDeleteWell you are welcome! You are worth following I guess. Hope to learn a thing or two from you...
ReplyDeleteFathers are like that, I am very lucky and sometimes not so lucky as I have an over expressive father. If I don't hug him, he will weep. Post my marriage he has become over dramatic. Don't mind and you write really well. There is a flow of words, thoughts in your writing. I started reading and moved on and on. No wonder your article was published in a paper. Share that article with us. And congratulations for being a tax payer:)
ReplyDeleteOverdose of love and care is always good. Indeed you are lucky to have a caring father. Thanks Saru for reading my blog and putting effort to drop few words of encouragement. My article clips are with my mom. Next time I meet her I'd scan them share for sure. Thanks again for your comment.
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