Father's Day....

Father's Day....

It was father's day yestetday. There was a strange sense of hollowness in me. Imagining our father without mother is indeed difficult. A video clip on a strike by fathers became viral yesterday. It began absurdly with a grudge, on the importance being given to mothers but ultimately drove home the point that fathers are equally important. It made me smile. As parents, the roles of mother and father are complimentary. Mothers are doting and fathers, supporting.... Both of them have their own significance.
Yes, having a father is important for so many reasons. They are so reassuring and protective like a shield to ward off any danger or hardship, providing love, care and support, not always from the forefront but from behind at times.
Of course, mothers are mothers. A child's relationship with the mother begins much before the father, as the child is in the mother's womb for 9 months. The bond gets established there and becomes the emotional strength.
Fathers, on the other hand, come into the picture only after the child is born. It is possible for them to experience some aspects along with their wife due to the advance in technology.  For example,  it is possible for them to listen to the heartbeat of the foetus through a stethoscope, feel the foetus moving and kicking, see its growth in the sonography. However, their  first contact with the baby is only after the child is born. There is a definite time lag in the bonding of the father compared to the mother. The mother on the other hand has this natural opportunity to bond with the baby as soon as it is conceived.
Celebrating Mother's day, Father's Day or even Valentine's Day for that matter are all concepts of the west. Indian tradition and culture in contrast says , Maatru Devo Bhavaa, Pitru Devo Bhavaa, Acharya Devo Bhavaa. We worship our parents like Gods, they are our first windows to learning. They are revered everyday. Probably that is why we have no such days for celebration. In fact, a couple of decades ago, very few even knew about celebration of all these days yet they have become trendy today.
Of course its importance cannot be belittled. Many of us get this opportunity at least to express our sentiments and feelings for our fathers and mothers . However, our race to pour out all our feelings should not be limited to this single day. It should also not be interposed as a day to give material gifts. Online stores and malls rule the roost and laugh their way to the banks as we compete to get better gifts for our parents.
Yet what our parents really want is our company, a few moments of attention, a warm conversation, a loving touch to reassure them of our feelings. They devote the prime of their  life to ensure we get a good upbringing and the best of comforts possible. Being with them in their old age is the least we can do.
Birth into a good family, being loved and cared for is such a blessing. It is important to acknowledge this blessing.
As a child, I too never understood this aspect but as I grew, I realised all the efforts made by our parents and began to cherish them and value them all the more.  They had not only made many sacrifices to educate us but also instilled values in us which in turn gave us the strength to face any fortitude.
Our father believed in each one of us and instilled confidence to achieve our dreams. He respected my decision to pursue a degree im Humanities and do BA instead of following my siblings by doing engineering or science. I can never thank him enough for believing in me and for motivating me when I was down. He has been my pillar of strength and support, undoubtedly.
That is what fathers are, like Gibraltar rocks, giving a sense of security, safety, surety and support. No wonder we feel so stable, thanks to the foundation they lay. So to all fathers of the world, thanks for being there, helping us to take our baby steps as well make us tough enough to survive in this world.
And to my father, love you Appa, for every single thing you have done for me, am blessed to be your daughter.....