It's hard to explain the kind of role he plays in my life. You know how I can be really rock-hearted towards some people, sometimes? Discipline, organization, and planning are not things I learned in school - I adopted them from my dad. He's like a Coconut - hard on the outside but soft on the inside. I love him to bits and I truly am blessed to have him in my life. He is one person who NEVER has a biased opinion. He will always weigh each side of the story and stay neutral while making his decision. In a nut shell, he is a very FAIR and JUST person. I have always received great advice from him. And most of all, he is a great blend of Indian and North American. Sure, all kids have trouble coming in to the country as immigrations because their parents are never on the same page as them. I'd say, my parents are far more modern than I expected them to be. They respect my friendships. They understand when I need my space and need to go out. I have curfews and I don't abuse the privilege.
My dad hasn't been celebrating his birthdays on a grand level or anything. Eight years ago.. my grandpa (I called him daddu) was really sick in India. At that time, all of his children (i.e. my tayas, chacha, bhua and everybody) lived in England or Canada. He was living alone with the help of occasional visitors. Then, we appointed a nurse for his care. He got really sick and my dad flew to India right within 3 days. My taya ji also went to India before him. When my dad got to India, my daddu was already in the hospital. When my dad reached the hospital, my grandpa died within a few hours. He wasn't even able to open his eyes and see that his son (my dad) had actually came to India. He passed away with the feeling that his children were not by his side.
That day.. was my dad's birthday. It was really the saddest thing ever. Considering how close I was with my daddu.. it was a real down time in our family, as my grandmother had already passed away before him. All my dad's brothers and sisters have been in England from the early 80s. We were the only family living in India until the year 2001. Hence, my brother and I were the only kids in regular touch with my daddu and he loved us a lot. We were his spoilt children. He always had a Dairy Milk and a pack of Kurkure ready for my brother and I every weekend. Our sunday morning started off with him frying potato chips at home.
Because of this.. my dad obviously didn't celebrate his birthday for many years after. He wouldn't even agree to having a slice of cake. But this year, I feel we actually celebrated with happiness. He may have been feeling his loss in his heart, like we all were, but no one said anything. We have never gone out to celebrate my dad's birthday since the year 2004. It has always been at home. So, I prepared a little surprise for him and got his favorite things to make his day. Overall, it was a good night =) Nish was an icing on the cake because he provided a great atmosphere for our family.
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