Defending the Fathers

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A few months back I penned down thoughts on my mom and mailed it thro. Was highly appreciated. Everybody at my home was happy, got calls from my relatives. I showed it to Dad. He told, “already read it the day it came. Read it 4 times. It was good”. “Jee dad, thanks. Are you not curious why I didn’t write about you?”, I asked. “Of course not! You love your mom the way I love my mom, words or without words”, pat came the reply. This set me thinking.
It’s been 2 months now and I still can’t give enough words to what I’ve been thinking.  There’s this shloka in sanskrit: “Mata, Pita, guru, Deivam” which sets the order of precedence. Dads come 2nd. After much thought, I can safely say that Dads are as equally important as moms. I remember once I went with my dad to a temple. The ‘hundi’ of the temple was enormously huge, and it had an opening at the top. I wanted to see what was inside it. Dad brushed me up in an instant and placed me on his shoulders. I clutched the hundi cloth with my small hands and peeped in. I saw those glittering coins and beamed at my father. My father reciprocated.
‘who beat you the most?’, I asked myself. ‘Dad!’, came the reply from within. ‘Why?’, I asked myself. ‘Because he wanted you to improvise on your mistakes, be better, and be disciplined’, the reply echoed from within. Somehow, I didn’t regret the times I was beaten. Maybe I saw that he was sad from within when he beat me. Maybe I knew that I was at the wrong side. Once Dad was very angry at me, even I vented it all out and we didn’t talk for days. Mom came to me the other day, and told that Dad regretted having scolded you so bad. “No. . He shouldn’t be. . I was at fault”, I murmured.
Mom and Dad are like yin and yang, like the good cop and bad cop in everyone’s life. One appreciates you, and the other pushes you forward. I asked my dad once nonchalantly, “You simply say good. Even when I got high marks in board exams, all I got from you was good”. “There was once a son who used to make intricate jewellery. He got praise from all places but one. His dad, a goldsmith himself, would always point out some flaw always! One day the son asked the same question you asked me. ‘If I were to appreciate you, I’m afraid you’d grow complacent. I want you to test your limits, break your records’, his dad replied”, told my dad.
The problem is simple. While mom’s efforts are seen by their children, dad’s efforts are behind the curtains. And dads don’t speak out, not sure if it’s in their genes. The other day, my friend celebrated her birthday and dad came home late. He gave her the gift she yearned for, but she furiously retorted “I hate you dad! Do you know all my friends waited for you? I don’t need any gifts from you. Don’t compensate!”. Mom saw this and was about to reprimand her, dad stopped her. “Beti, I’m sorry. Got stuck in work and traffic. Please forgive me”, he stood in front of his daughter with his fingers stretching his ears. She ran to her room and slept off. “Honey, why didn’t you tell her that you searched all the shops in this city to get her this one doll she wanted!”, she asked her husband. Her husband laughed it off. Her daughter had heard this, and she ran to her father and apologized.
Such are fathers, one letter short of feathers. Because they play a pivotal role in your life, career, and relationships. They are the ones who give you wings, not some beverage company. I believe in my mom, and am confident of my dad. With these 2 persons around, I can face any problem in life. At times of play, he’s one with me; and at times of studies, he ensures that I study harder. A perfect mix of salt and sugar, my dad. I’m not sure whether we need a day to be allotted as “Mother’s Day”, but we definitely need a “Father’s Day”.

IIT-M, Democracy, and the right to VOTE

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Dr. Ambedkar walked down the aisle to take a sip of coffee. Nehru caught up fast with him.
I heard him say, “I know why we all are here. But, I don’t know why this strange looking guy is here?”. Ambedkar asked, “Who are talking about ji?”
“Arey, that guy with glasses on, and that strange looking blue pant which is tore on all sides. . And look at the kind of shirt! No collars at all! And he didn’t even touch Bapu’s feet!”, replied Nehru anxiously.
Ambedkar smirked and shrugged. Ambedkar saw the guy coming towards Nehru. He bid a quick farewell and vanished from the scene
That guy went to Nehru and asked, “Ask me about me. . Why ask anybody else?”. “Ok. . Who are you?”, Nehru asked. “Wrong question. The question should be ‘where are you?’. .”, the guy replied.
“Huh? Alright. where am I?”, asked Nehru distraught. “You are a part of my dream. I have a quiz on parliamentary democracy to attend tomorrow. So, you are invited here to help me out”, the guy replied. “Oh, so your name is Vk!”
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“Oye! Wake up! How long will you sleep!”, mom shouted.
“Arey yaar! I was about to talk to Nehru!”, I remarked half-awake.
My one eye saw the clock, the other eye was sealed by mucous. Time was 7 am. Oh, it’s only 7 am. I need to be in IIT-M by 11 am. Let’s sleep a li’l more. I swear I closed my eyes only for 2 minutes. . But, the bullock cart called time suddenly got a rocket outta nowhere, and the time was 8 am!
I slipped my body in a worn out jeans — the torn blue jeans — and wore a kurta (with a collar! 😛 ) and off I ran to the bus stop. Come bus, and I’m en route IIT-M. 
*where was I when the rockets came to life, and carried you away into the Aligator Sky!*
*Shoot me down, but I wont fall. . Cos I’m Titanium!*
*Darling don’t be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years. . I’ll love you for a thousand more*

*Aaja chanda bahon me, tujh me hi me kho jau. . Teri aarti mein utaru. . Saiyaan!!!*
Those, and more, were the kinds of songs I was listening to, and singing all the way. This hag sitting next to me was staring at me all along. What do I care?!
Nostalgia crept in; I was here at this place in 2008. 6 years passed. IIT did not change. I did. I grew taller, hairier, and franker. All the trees, the shrubs, overhanging roots, buttresses, the deers bore a sense of timeless change. What would they care of time!
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So, I am outside the gates of IIT. Nostalgia gone, paving way for nervousness. I caught up with my teammates. One male and the other female. Apparently, an other friend of mine was to come and participate in the quiz. His team was already in the venue. We registered at the reception desk. I broke the ice with the receptionist, Sahil. “How many teams are you expecting?” “About 50. . optimistic”, came his reply. I remarked, “Balance of probability?”. He smirked.
We were in the venue. We were given free lunch coupons (spoiler alert: the lunch was amazing! *yum*). The prelims were supported to start at 11 am. 4 teams were there. The time of quiz was postponed to 11:45 am. I sensed a hustle. The other 2 teams were busy with their smart phones and smartest phones. Within 20 minutes — believe me — 12 teams joined in. Most of them who joined had unkempt faces, were on shorts. “Hostelers”, my team mate hissed. The hosts had called their friends from the hostel to increase the crowd! 😀
The quiz started. It was good. But we lost by 1 point margin. “Which is the oldest existing system of government in India?” was the question. We marked municipalities as the answer, fully knowing that cities emerged only after villages. We lost a point. The correct answer was panchayat system. Ya ya, you can heartily laugh over it. We laughed too!
I’m not gonna mention the parts where it is evident that the quizmasters were biased towards the host’s teams. Neither am I gonna mention the fact that the contest’s 1st prize and 2nd prize went to the host’s teams.
What mattered was exposure. Must say, the questions selected were excellently researched. Did you know that a concept called “postal voting” was mooted for the armies? Did you know that Gujarat has a system of elections wherein voters can vote from their respective homes! We were enthralled to be part of this event. . 🙂
One of the teams was asked a very difficult question. “What are the 3 kinds of sessions which take place in the parliament every year? One of them is winter session”. The team couldn’t answer it. The other team passed the question.
“Who coined the slogan ‘Jai Hind’ ?”. “Subhash Chandra Bose”, was one of the team’s reply. The quizmaster remarked, “I did not ask the name of the leader who popularized the slogan”. The team had a facepalm moment. The answer is Shenbagaramar Pillai.
Apparently, the cholas (rulers of a part of S. India of 7th century AD) had a system called Kudagali system, as per which village people elected their representatives. It was very much similar to the present day elections. Only difference is that Cholas did not have EVMs.
The program was fun. The climax moment came when we met Mr. Gopalaswami, former Chief Election Commissioner of India. This man — so energetic, so outright — was frank enough to discuss the niceties of his views on electoral reforms. We were curious enough to keep him engaged for a good 15 minutes.
The winners were announced. The NGO and associations which helped organize the event spoke their views. The aim to keep such a programme was to spread awareness amongst youngsters, and to inspire them to vote.
It is true. One should exercise their ultimate right as a citizen of India, the right to vote. You may think, “what will happen with my one vote?”. Parties can be toppled out of power. A completely new face could be the Chief Minister. That one index finger of yours, that stain over your nail and skin are testimony to the fact that you have been given the most valuable opportunity — to change the fate of the world’s largest democracy.
24th of April. Chennai goes to vote. You whistle for the CSK, use your fingers and thumbs incessantly for typing texts. Go ahead, let that index finger serve it’s prime purpose.
Ready! Steady! Vote!
Then come back home and sleep (c’mon. . You’ll be tired after pressing that button)!
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P.S. One demanding request. Do let me know your feedback on how I write. There is not much to debate on. I seldom write on social issues. I don’t know whether my articles are like a breath of fresh air to you, or something better/worse than that! So, do let me know. If it’s an appreciation, I’d be glad to oblige. If it’s a flaw, I’d be glad to rectify. If it’s a joke on my article, I’d be glad to laugh with you!
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