Both my girls are pursuing their studies in hostels.My younger daughter has been away for five years now and I still miss her terribly.Sometimes ,when they are busy and I am unable to speak to them during the course of the day I feel miserable..On such days I can only manage to say a Hi and a Bye..
I was speaking to my younger daughter yesterday evening.She was in a mood to talk,and we chatted for nearly an hour.Here I reproduce a transcript of the conversation...
Amma : Hey ! Girl ! How was your posting today ? Missing you terribly dear girl.
Daughter : Ma ! Day was good.I was back in my room early.I will be busy tomorrow.I miss you too Ma but I miss Appa more..
Amma : Huh !
My younger daughter is doing her internship after completing MBBS and is right now posted in the paediatric unit.
Daughter : I am loving the paediatric posting.I was a pre term baby right ? and because you were not keeping too well Appa took care of me.You have told me so many times that my grandmothers also took care of me so that you could take complete rest .
Amma : Huh ! Yes ! But that was only for a couple of months and well ! all new moms get the care and attention.
Daughter : Yes....But you joined duty after six months .Then grandmother and Appa took turns to take care of me .Amma ! I remember very well.When we were unwell ,or down with cold or fever ,Appa was always by our side.
Amma : I know ,I know , that's because Appa is a doctor and as a Dad he loves you so dearly.So do I ,but I am magnanimous.He liked to tend to your needs and you were Appa's daughter.I let you both be .
Daughter : When we were older,he stood in the queue for school admission ,in the queue again every year to pay the fees .When we started going to school he dropped us,picked us up .He took us to the tailor for our
school uniforms ,to Bata for the shoes and Baggy &Baggy for the school bags.
Amma : He had flexible working hours.He loves you immensely.He liked to do the running
around.It was a pleasure.So he did it.I would have done it too.
Daughter : He ironed our uniform,filled the water bottles and polished our shoes.Remember ! Akka would insist...Muippa thaan venum ..Muippa thaan ootanum...( I want Appa,I want Appa to feed me )
Amma :Hmmmmmm... I packed your lunch everyday.
Daughter : Yes ! You made yummy parathas every day.You were good at it and you never gave us a choice.It was parathas with Aloo on Monday,parathas with a mix veg on Tuesday,Parathas with
tomato thokku on Wednesdays,Parathas with dhal on Thursday and Parathas with lady's finger on
Friday..
Amma : Hmmmmmmm...
Daughter was in a mood to pull amma's legs and Amma was in no mood to relent.I was determined to make her acknowledge my services..
Amma : Do you mean to say that I have not done anything for you?I have helped you with your
projects,experiments,drawings and your daily lessons.I combed your hair and tied it in pigtails.
Daughter : Ouch ! Yes ! The tight piggy tails hurt but we never complained.Ma ! We were good at
studies.If you helped with the projects,Appa bought the chart paper ,colour pencils and other stationery items.Appa covered our books with brown paper and stuck the labels too.You were never
good at covering books.Appa used to do a very neat job and later we started doing it on our own.So you did not have much of a problem.You never worried about us studying and if I am not wrong we were on our own from Std V. When we burnt the midnight oil,Appa gave us company even as you slept.But yes ! you helped us at times with Maths...You were really helpful..
Amma : Oh ! Was I ? Oh Really ? How was I useful ?....
I was all ready to flare up but realising that my girl was alone and missing her dad ,I decided to keep mum.As a mother ,I was quick to understand that she was misty eyed ,though the tone in her voice
did not give away that emotion...and I am absolutely certain that under similar circumstances a Dad would not be able to figure out the state of mind of his daughter.
Daughter : I remember you scolding us for making silly mistakes..
Amma : So ? This is not a compliment my dear girl...
Daughter : You would get very angry when we left a problem incomplete or did not write the answer
fully in figures and words....Remember you used to ask us.?
...Pattammma...Ithu yenna maaa..?????.Kayuthaya,Gudharaya,Vengayama ,KathirukkayA...? ( Sweetheart ! What's this ? Donkey,Horse,Onion or Eggplant ?
Amma : :-).....The momentary emotion of anger was disappearing and I was happy again,thrilled rather.My girl misses me.I am in her thoughts,Saying to myself,I smiled and continued with the conversation..
Daughter : These words had a deep impression on our young minds such that we were careful while solving maths problems...Whenever I solved a math problem and wrote the answer,the image of a donkey would pop up in my mind..I tell my friends even now and we have a good laugh...See you were that beneficial....She laughed heartily...
AmmA : Apadeeya....Seree vaa unnai gavinikkeren....( I will take care of you...literally translated )
Both my daughters were good at Maths .My younger daughter was very good . As far as I can remember she always scored full marks in Maths.Every year when she received her report card her teachers had a special word of praise for her Math abilities.She was also a state rank holder in Maths in the Board Exam.
Daughter : Amma , I was a math whiz kid.
Amma :Yes dear ,You should have majored in Maths instead of medicine.I wanted you to join the Institute of Maths.You did not listen to me...
Daughter : I know Ma...My dear Appa has done so much for me.By pursuing a career in Medicine,which is so dear to him, I knew he would be very happy...It's my way of repaying....Not
that he would not have approved any other decision of mine but this has made him proud...
Amma : Ok ! Enough ! So tell me...how do you intend to repay me ?
Daughter : Ma ! I Received my first stipend today....Name anything that you want and it will be yours......Appa is a man of few wants .He is so simple.So I am not going to ask him if he needs anything...
Amma : Hmmmmmmmm......
I was slipping into a state of amnesia.As I ponder now on what I did for my girls,I seem to forget,I am unable to recall.
.Desperate, I hit upon an idea...I will go on flashback mode,rewind and try to recall day by day from day one.It is going to be a mission tough but not impossible...As I try to recall now ,I remember the story telling sessions,the read aloud fairy tale moments,my presence as the make artist,my visits to the fancy dress shop on Kodambakkam High Road and phew ! I am relieved...Anyway,till I am able to convince myself of my painstaking efforts that I had taken in nurturing and bringing them up,and then drive the point into their heads....See Amma did this for you ,Amma did that...I will be myself as always....let go,let them be and allow the trio to be enamoured of one another .......
Moral of the story : A Father is a Daughter"s best friend and the
Daughter will always be the apple of his eyes.
I was speaking to my younger daughter yesterday evening.She was in a mood to talk,and we chatted for nearly an hour.Here I reproduce a transcript of the conversation...
Amma : Hey ! Girl ! How was your posting today ? Missing you terribly dear girl.
Daughter : Ma ! Day was good.I was back in my room early.I will be busy tomorrow.I miss you too Ma but I miss Appa more..
Amma : Huh !
My younger daughter is doing her internship after completing MBBS and is right now posted in the paediatric unit.
Daughter : I am loving the paediatric posting.I was a pre term baby right ? and because you were not keeping too well Appa took care of me.You have told me so many times that my grandmothers also took care of me so that you could take complete rest .
Amma : Huh ! Yes ! But that was only for a couple of months and well ! all new moms get the care and attention.
Daughter : Yes....But you joined duty after six months .Then grandmother and Appa took turns to take care of me .Amma ! I remember very well.When we were unwell ,or down with cold or fever ,Appa was always by our side.
Amma : I know ,I know , that's because Appa is a doctor and as a Dad he loves you so dearly.So do I ,but I am magnanimous.He liked to tend to your needs and you were Appa's daughter.I let you both be .
Daughter : When we were older,he stood in the queue for school admission ,in the queue again every year to pay the fees .When we started going to school he dropped us,picked us up .He took us to the tailor for our
school uniforms ,to Bata for the shoes and Baggy &Baggy for the school bags.
Amma : He had flexible working hours.He loves you immensely.He liked to do the running
around.It was a pleasure.So he did it.I would have done it too.
Daughter : He ironed our uniform,filled the water bottles and polished our shoes.Remember ! Akka would insist...Muippa thaan venum ..Muippa thaan ootanum...( I want Appa,I want Appa to feed me )
Amma :Hmmmmmm... I packed your lunch everyday.
Daughter : Yes ! You made yummy parathas every day.You were good at it and you never gave us a choice.It was parathas with Aloo on Monday,parathas with a mix veg on Tuesday,Parathas with
tomato thokku on Wednesdays,Parathas with dhal on Thursday and Parathas with lady's finger on
Friday..
Amma : Hmmmmmmm...
Daughter was in a mood to pull amma's legs and Amma was in no mood to relent.I was determined to make her acknowledge my services..
Amma : Do you mean to say that I have not done anything for you?I have helped you with your
projects,experiments,drawings and your daily lessons.I combed your hair and tied it in pigtails.
Daughter : Ouch ! Yes ! The tight piggy tails hurt but we never complained.Ma ! We were good at
studies.If you helped with the projects,Appa bought the chart paper ,colour pencils and other stationery items.Appa covered our books with brown paper and stuck the labels too.You were never
good at covering books.Appa used to do a very neat job and later we started doing it on our own.So you did not have much of a problem.You never worried about us studying and if I am not wrong we were on our own from Std V. When we burnt the midnight oil,Appa gave us company even as you slept.But yes ! you helped us at times with Maths...You were really helpful..
Amma : Oh ! Was I ? Oh Really ? How was I useful ?....
I was all ready to flare up but realising that my girl was alone and missing her dad ,I decided to keep mum.As a mother ,I was quick to understand that she was misty eyed ,though the tone in her voice
did not give away that emotion...and I am absolutely certain that under similar circumstances a Dad would not be able to figure out the state of mind of his daughter.
Daughter : I remember you scolding us for making silly mistakes..
Amma : So ? This is not a compliment my dear girl...
Daughter : You would get very angry when we left a problem incomplete or did not write the answer
fully in figures and words....Remember you used to ask us.?
...Pattammma...Ithu yenna maaa..?????.Kayuthaya,Gudharaya,Vengayama ,KathirukkayA...? ( Sweetheart ! What's this ? Donkey,Horse,Onion or Eggplant ?
Amma : :-).....The momentary emotion of anger was disappearing and I was happy again,thrilled rather.My girl misses me.I am in her thoughts,Saying to myself,I smiled and continued with the conversation..
Daughter : These words had a deep impression on our young minds such that we were careful while solving maths problems...Whenever I solved a math problem and wrote the answer,the image of a donkey would pop up in my mind..I tell my friends even now and we have a good laugh...See you were that beneficial....She laughed heartily...
AmmA : Apadeeya....Seree vaa unnai gavinikkeren....( I will take care of you...literally translated )
Both my daughters were good at Maths .My younger daughter was very good . As far as I can remember she always scored full marks in Maths.Every year when she received her report card her teachers had a special word of praise for her Math abilities.She was also a state rank holder in Maths in the Board Exam.
Daughter : Amma , I was a math whiz kid.
Amma :Yes dear ,You should have majored in Maths instead of medicine.I wanted you to join the Institute of Maths.You did not listen to me...
Daughter : I know Ma...My dear Appa has done so much for me.By pursuing a career in Medicine,which is so dear to him, I knew he would be very happy...It's my way of repaying....Not
that he would not have approved any other decision of mine but this has made him proud...
Amma : Ok ! Enough ! So tell me...how do you intend to repay me ?
Daughter : Ma ! I Received my first stipend today....Name anything that you want and it will be yours......Appa is a man of few wants .He is so simple.So I am not going to ask him if he needs anything...
Amma : Hmmmmmmmm......
I was slipping into a state of amnesia.As I ponder now on what I did for my girls,I seem to forget,I am unable to recall.
.Desperate, I hit upon an idea...I will go on flashback mode,rewind and try to recall day by day from day one.It is going to be a mission tough but not impossible...As I try to recall now ,I remember the story telling sessions,the read aloud fairy tale moments,my presence as the make artist,my visits to the fancy dress shop on Kodambakkam High Road and phew ! I am relieved...Anyway,till I am able to convince myself of my painstaking efforts that I had taken in nurturing and bringing them up,and then drive the point into their heads....See Amma did this for you ,Amma did that...I will be myself as always....let go,let them be and allow the trio to be enamoured of one another .......
Moral of the story : A Father is a Daughter"s best friend and the
Daughter will always be the apple of his eyes.
