Page 37 - YKK Flipbook

Dear Papa,
“Fathers are Priceless” and I feel I have the best of the lot in the world who has always played the role of a very helpful and hands-on father to his children.
Me being the first child, I got a lot of attention from you and mom.
I still have a faint memory of tonga rides on Marine Drive every Sunday evening😊
I also remember how patiently you would feed me my meals till I turned 6, as I was a very fussy eater.
Moving on to the school days, you taught me how to read, how to write and how to draw. You were literally my first and most important teacher. I still recall those teary sessions with pinches on my thighs while learning maths & physics.
But, thanks to your dedication, passion and patience, I fetched marks beyond my own expectations.
You were famous amongst my friends as a father who would never say no for any school trips and always came to drop and pick us up at the station no matter the hour.
You never said no to us for anything. In fact, you sent Babi and me to USA for a holiday even before you had travelled abroad yourself.
With your business growing on one side, you never compromised on spending quality time with us, whether it was our Sunday morning ritual to go to Juhu beach
and having idli dosa or summer holiday trips to Mahabaleshwar, Nainital, Kashmir, Manali, Rajasthan & the list can go on.
You faced adversities of health from the age of 45
but managed them well with regular routine and disciplined lifestyle.
You always gave me the freedom to make choices in life and supported them whether it was choosing college, or line of education or even deciding on my life partner. I thank you for fulfilling my every wish and holding my hand at every step and every fall on the way.
Your love for cooking and feeding people is popular in our family. I am amazed with your enthusiasm of making bhel for each individual
of such a large family, separately, as per their choice. I have learnt many recipes
from you but yet cannot match the ghegha and khichadi made by you.
From what I know of you, you have always given your best in all the roles that you have played in life. Be it of a son,
a brother, a husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, friend and businessman.
I am truly proud of you for everything that you have done and achieved in your life.
There are countless father- daughter memories to cherish for a lifetime in my heart.
And I can go on.
But I would end here with a small Gujarati Kavita.
કદ િપતાના પે, તો કદ િમત્ર સ્વપ,ે
તમારો હાથ અમાર ઉપર છે આશીવાર્દ પ.ે
નાના હતા અમે અને ઓછ હતી સમજ,
તો પણ અમારા પ્રેમ પર કય િવાસ તમે.
પ્રેમ અને સસ્ં કારોંુ િસચ ન કુ તમે.
દય ંુ છે િવશાળ એમને ભેટ સ્વપે ંુ આપીએ ? બસ ! પ્રનુ ે પ્રાથનર્ ા જ... હર જન્મમાં િપતા તમે જ...
I pray to God to give you the best of health and happiness because when you smile,
it gives me tremendous happiness and when you
are healthy, I feel safe and protected.
Sushmi
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