Hi Misha,
I know i have taken months to reply on this story which had caught my attention with the 1st chapter itself and then somehow i lost it. We interacted and i casually asked you if you knew about such a story. Trust me that moment i felt i was dumb coz you were the writer of it. So, today i wanna apologise for that and trust me i mean it from my heart.
This story made me travel through my 28 years of life and the precious bond i have with my parents. Trust me I was really speechless when i went through all the emotions while i read the chapters and just began to flow with your words. I could relate to so many things you had mentioned in your story and all i wanted to do at that moment is cocoon myself in the warm embrace of my parents. I was in London when i was reading the chapters and I really was going through a rough patch in life that time.
Misha, you are gifted with a talent to influence people with your words, so never ever let this gift be left alone and try to always use it constructively. I really wanna share a few moments of my life with you and other readers of your story.
I have been a very obedient girl all my life and i take pride in it 😆 ... what you call in hindi "bilkul seedhi bachi hai, apne mata pita ki aagyakari beti..." Yeah, that's what i have been all these years though i have my own thought process and have built an identity for myself.
I still remember when i was around 11 years old, it was the first time i had thought of submitting my poetry for school magazine. I used to scribble everyday and erase it not being happy about it. Finally, i was able to complete my poetry and submitted it. After a couple of days i was called to the teacher's staff room by one of the English Teachers who was involved in the publishing of the school magazine. She asked me if i had written the poetry or someone else had written it for me. This pricked my heart and tears welled in my eyes coz that poem was on MY MOTHER and she questioned me in such a sarcastic manner. I really felt so bad about it and i still do somewhere. The arguments she gave was that - a small girl like me couldn't have emoted those emotions i had penned for my mother.
However, little did they knew i just did all that to make my mother smile as the magazine was to be out around her b'day and i wanted my poetry to be her b'day gift. I still have that in my heart but never shared it with anyone not even my parents. But, Misha you made me remember how special my parents were to me that i wanted to show them how much i loved them and how blessed i felt to have them.
My Dad had never scolded me in general and if ever he did i would just silently cry about it later. I knew how much my tears used to hurt him. And you know what, later he would come to me and try to make me smile. He'll pull my cheeks, ask Mom to make my favourite food and if this didn't work, then he would try to initiate a conversation with me so that i was forced to speak out. He would do all to get that smile on my face. Yes, I was my FATHER'S Darling Daughter.
It's a common thing for siblings to fight and same was in my case (Misha, my brother and I still fight a lot ok...😆) and my elder brother was the one who would get scolded all the time, even if i was at fault. He always had this complain that ..." Dad, you never tell Ankita anything...even if she is at fault you scold me..." Yes, that's what my Dad did and trust me i used to have a blast when my brother got scolded even for my mistakes. 😃 My Brother always had one wish - ki kabhi Ankita ko bhi scold kare and ek baar slap kare Dad... (In your dreams Bhaiya, Dad won't slap me ok 😛...)
My father is a very calm and composed person and i guess i have inherited this from him. I don't remember any situation where my Dad would lose his calm easily. Everyone has their ups and downs in life so did we, but Dad never showed it and no one would get to know what he was going through. It's then my Mom would step up and make me and Bhaiya understand the situation. I still wonder how he manages to be so calm, so giving and never complain about anything.
My mother and father have sacrificed so much for their kids that you can't even imagine. I really don't know if anyone else in general would have this amazing understanding as a couple that my parents have and its beyond words. They are best friends, companions, critiques and had learnt to grow with time. I don't know how they have made this work so beautifully and also, they made sure their kids are groomed in the best possible way. I feel so blessed and proud to be their daughter.
Life gave me a chance when i was around 18 years old to pen down what i felt for my Dad. I was approached by Times of India editor and columnist who was working on a special edition to be featured on FATHER'S DAY. She had seen my work and asked me to pen down an article portraying my thoughts on my Dad and also on the occasion of Father's Day... This was a great news for me not because i was about to write for TOI, but a chance to gift my Dad something special on Father's Day...
I still remember i had instantly agreed to work for TOI on the special edition and let me tell you i was going crazy while writing the article. I read so many articles available on Father's Day and also how people portrayed their emotions for their father. Trust me i was scared to see the quality of writing they had, not that i wasn't capable of but, it was for My Dad and i wanted it to be perfect.
It had been 2 weeks and i couldn't write a single line. I was really panicking as the deadline for submitting the article was in a day and here i had nothing on paper. I shut everything and then sat with my parents for coffee. It was then it struck me that no article can tell me what i need to write. I got up with a jerk and picked my pen to write what i felt... I worked on the article all night and by morning 5:30 a.m. i had the 3rd draft of my article ready. I submitted it for proof read and then the TOI office informed that i had to send a photograph of Me with My Dad.
Now, that was a fix as i wanted it to be a surprise and my parents knew how camera shy i was. I really had to scratch my head to think of an excuse to take Dad with me for the photograph. Finally, i managed it somehow. It was FATHER'S DAY and the newspaper arrived. I crossed my fingers and shut my eyes when my parents opened the special edition section. I ran into my room and waited for their reaction. It had been more than half an hour and they hadn't called me.
I mustered courage and went to them only to witness my parents in tears. I thought they didn't like it. But, then my Dad hugged me tight and I cried along too. I wanted to Thank him for all the efforts he had put in raising me and to make me the person i am. He pulled my nose and kissed me on my forehead and then chuckled by saying "YES, YOU ARE MY NOSE HAIR..." Well, my aunts and family used to tease Dad by saying that i was his Nose Hair... (it means someone who is very special and you can't live without...)
It was one of the most precious moments of my life that i still cherish. I still ponder every day as to what i can do to make them happy as they gave given me so much. Words will never be enough to describe what they have done in life for me.
My parents are my God and in this lifetime i don't think I can express myself what they mean to me. We all have our shares of ups and downs, small tiffs, difference of opinions and misunderstandings, but what matters is we communicate with our parents and understand their view point too. Trust me they Love you unconditionally and have no expectations from you...
Misha, i'll share more on this bond some other time as now i am in tears and if my Dad got to know i cried he'll panic ok... I am indeed thankful to you for this beautiful story and I will always be there to share my thoughts. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to express myself a bit.
Lots of Love
Ankita
Edited by ankita_t - 9 years ago
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
