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Dear Dad,

Everyday after office, you took out at least a couple of hours to do your ghazal riyaaz or paint an oil on canvas or write a poem or two and read new books that you'd ordered from Calcutta. You could have chosen to sit back & watch TV. You could have chosen to crib about how unrewarding your life as a banker was. You could have drank & slept, like most working Dads of my friends did. You instead chose to fill those hours exhibiting to your kids what passion really meant. Thank you for teaching me that true love resides in creating new things, and creation itself is its biggest reward.

When people ask me where I draw my inspiration from, I am reminded of your palette laid out with wet colors and linseed oil on a Sunday afternoon, the only off day of the week you had. I remember how my classmates in grade 3 went gaga over a genius called Leonardo da Vinci. How could someone do so many things? They crooned. Vinci didn't surprise me. I had one in the house.

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Ma,

In 2002, I had shifted schools & was having trouble with English because the teacher spoke too fast and I'd not understand a word. You taught me English by translating each sentence into Hindi, helping me score the highest in the unit test. When I brought the marks home, you claimed credit for it. I yelled at you. It's not your efforts but mine that got me these marks. Your face turned pale but you didn't say a word. You swallowed my bitterness, like always. A month later, I got the hang of the teacher's diction & didn't seek your help again. I aced every exam thereon, never giving you credit for it. You never asked for it either.

While every parent wanted their kid to chase their unfulfilled dreams, in 2003, you decided to chase yours instead. After 18 years of being a homemaker, you picked up the books. For 10 years, you studied every night after the daily chores, achieving B.Ed, M.Ed, NET & Ph.D. one by one. The year is 2017 & you're now a tenured professor. Self-made. You ensured your ungrateful son can never steal your credit again.

Your son writes in English now & thinks of you every time he gets stuck in the web of words. It's only a Hindi translation that saves him.

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Dear Farakh

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Behna,

I never thought we shared an intimate bond until the day I was at my most vulnerable. It was January 2012 and my 3.5 year long relationship, the first ever, had ended with my getting dumped for my good friend. It was excruciating. Embarrassing, too, enough to make me contemplate suicide. You'd just moved to Delhi for college and were merely 18. I could not think of anyone else to reach out to. Should I call you? You were a kid, I thought, while dialling your number. I just knew you wouldn't judge me. Hoping you'd take my side, I called you and sobbed my heart out. You didn't freak out. You didn't panic. Half an hour later, you were at my place. You stayed for a week, skipping classes, helping me heal, conversations and company slowly filling the void. Never for once, you took sides. Never for once you blamed the girl. You taught me, with your subtle maturity, that people fall out of love. It's natural. That I should be happy for her as now she's with a person she likes. In a week, you imparted my life's greatest lesson: how to let go with grace.

To the world, you are my younger sister. To me, you are the older, kinder and wiser sister. Happy birthday!

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Dear Ramya,

This is my 392nd post on YourQuote. Out of them all, I cherish less than 15 because those are the ones where you replied with a thumbs up and in very rare case, with a tacky throbbing red heart that resembles a butt. For the rest, the messages would read “seen” & I would crumble within. Damn, once again I didn’t make the cut! If I accused you of not reverting to them, your reply would be direct: Ass, you bored me in the very first line. Sprinkle, this word made me puke. Else, just a simple: eww.

(Continued in the caption)

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Dear Farakh,

This was supposed to be the 5th letter in the series #JanuaryLetters, when I was writing letters to my loved ones and you were the fifth in the list after my parents, sister and Ramya. I had even figured the incident I was going to write about. But then January ended, February came and passed by like a breeze, March started and even before the spring could bloom, summer arrived. You visited me right when March was changing clothes, losing the garb of cold and wearing the unbuttoned cotton shirt to let the hot winds rustle through it. You stayed over for three days, and I’m ashamed to admit that I spent more time with my mobile phone than with you, clearly the fifth most loved person in my life.

(Continued in the caption)

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माँ,
तुमसे न जाने कितनी बार कहना चाहा पर कह न सकी, आज कहती हूँ- माफ कर देना मुझे।
मैंने जाने-अनजाने में तुम्हें बड़ा सताया है।
तुम्हारी मेरी सोच अलग जरूर है पर गलत नहीं। हाँ मैं पापा के साथ ज्यादा रही हूँ पर तुमसे कभी अलग नहीं हो सकी। प्यार तुमसे भी उतना ही गहरा है जितना पापा से। मैंने तुम्हारी बातें ज़रा कम ही मानी हैं-तुमने पूरब कहा तो मैं पश्चिम चली। पर गलत न समझना बस। भरोसा रखना हमेशा ठीक वैसे ही जैसे पापा आज तक रखते आएं हैं।तुम्हें गुस्सा आता है मुझ पर-शायद थोड़ा ज्यादा ही, पर मुझे प्यार भी उतना ही करती हो।
और कुछ नहीं कह सकती बस इतना ही कहना है कि मैं तुम्हारे पास न सही पर साथ हमेशा हूँ।

तुम्हारी सिरफिरी।

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Dear Dad,

Sitting here today, some memories flashed in front of my eyes and made me feel a little happy and sad at same time. So here I'm writing this letter to you.
I won't mention what you did for me because I can never jot down them ever.
Dad, Thank You for watching over me even when you were far. You made me what I'm today. For letting me be me.
I, sometimes, have hurt your heart, knowingly or unknowingly but your love for me never ended. Because that's what fathers do the best- they love you the most.
Every single time I asked for chocolate, you gave me four, not because you loved me more, but you wanted to teach me how to share things. And I know even if I'm in darkest hour of the night, you are there.
I hope that I can become the person you want me to be. And I can be the sunshine of your life too, just like you are mine.
Just like you I won't say it every now and then, but today I want to say-"Dad, I Love You."

Your little girl.

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