Article #63: Thank you Dad

Dad, I want to visit my friend’s house  Son, but you have exam tomorrow  Dad, I am fully prepared and can write the exam in this moment itself  Son, confidence is good, but not overconfidence. First prepare for the exam, you can visit your friend’s house later 

Did any of you ever experienced this type of situation before? If yes, then for most of us Dad would have been the villain at that point. But when you try to recollect such things after some years, then I am sure you would have understood the positive intent behind it. 

Well, I would like to dedicate this article to my beloved dad and thank him for many things which he did to me so far.  

I feel special whenever I hear my mom saying that my dad celebrated my birth with a goldspot drink (which was quite popular during the 90’s) to my relatives. Thank you, dad, for making me feel special on the very first day itself 

Some people say that my name, Giridhar is vibrant. I would have to give this credit to my dad as he loves the name and kept it to me. Thank you, dad. 

Another most important thing that I need to mention here is that I inherited this quality of writing from my dad since he had been a great writer. Once again, thank you, dad. 

I still remember those days when I was a kid and used to roam around the streets of my town on my dad’s bicycle sitting in the front seat. That seat was always reserved for me. We never had the luxury of car or bike during those days, but my dad ensured to keep me happy in smallest of the small things and taught me that happiness can always be found in small things. Thank you, dad 

Then he was the one who used to help me in getting ready for the school. He never allowed me to leave the home with unpolished shoes. Least I know that he was teaching me the discipline at that time. Thank you, dad. 

Dad always used to stress on the education part. He used to inspire me with the stories of his friends and relatives who studied well and attained greater heights in their lives. Dad created a sophisticated environment for me in the home with which I could focus more on my studies and less on the remaining things. Thank you, dad, whatever I have become today is because of you. 

Our favorite sport used to be the carroms. Dad taught me how to play, I learned so many tricks on the board by playing with him. It went from an easy game to tough competition between us as the days passed by. Even today, whenever I play carroms confidently, I have only one thing to say thank you, dad. 

There were times when we used to have so many relatives in the home. While everyone used to be busy, dad was the only one who used to keep an eye on me and it may sound silly, but as a kid that kind of attention was the major thing that we seek for, thank you, dad.  

Then there was a time when I scored 92 out of 100 in Mathematics for the first time in my life. I always used to be a dull student in Mathematics until dad joined me in a tuition center and that became a turning point. I still remember the smile on my dad’s face when he got to know that I was getting better in Mathematics. Thank you, dad, your encouragement helped me to become an engineer today. 

There were so many ups and downs in the family with respect to many things. But the strange part was I never saw dad giving up, nor I saw him feeling weak. Thank you, dad, for being so brave all the time and teaching us indirectly the same. 

Picking me up from school or tuition or even sometimes from college was dad’s favorite thing to do. Again, I must say that during all such times, he made me feel special. Thank you, dad. 

Then there was a time when I got 105 fever during the summer and couldn’t even write the final semester exams in my second year of engineering. Dad admitted me in hospital ICU and roamed countless times around the hospital with the food 3 times a day. I still wonder how he was able to cope up with the pressure from everywhere. Gradually, I recovered within a week. Even today, I strongly believe that only because of my mom and Dad, I was able to recover. Thank you, dad. 

During the final year of engineering, I remember how my dad came to pick me up at the bus stop as he got to know that I was one of the 14 selected students out of 150 attended ones for a job in MNC. Thank you so much dad, for sharing my happiness. 

After 6 months, when I was leaving the home for the job for the first time in my life, Dad told me only one thing that a guy leaving his house for the job is similar to that of a girl leaving her house after getting married. Thank you, dad, for preparing me to face the actual world. 

Can you imagine after leaving for job, there was a moment when I fell sick and was alone in the room. Dad called me and I cried because I know it wouldn’t have been the same situation if I had been with him. Thank you, dad, for your emotional support at that point. 

Apart from all this, how can I forget your support at each moment before, during and even after buying the house? Thank you, dad, for helping me a lot in creating my own identity. 

You never think of yourself and keep hiding everything with respect to your health even when you were affected with Covid, you always think of me and my comfort all the time. How can I say just thank you for this? You deserve lot more than just a thank you. 

Giving me a name along with his surname, joining me in a school and college to helping me learn a bicycle and bike to taking a stand for me all the time to boosting my confidence every time whenever required, to enabling me stand on my own feet today, dad has always been there for me and with me. Thank you so much dad, for everything although I know this is only a short note of gratitude that I can show towards you.  

Sometimes we get so busy in our personal and professional lives that we tend to forget the ones who are responsible for what we are today, so let’s take a moment and thank our dads for everything that they did for us although that would be a small token of gratitude from our end, I am sure most of you would have correlated with my experiences today.  

I will be back with another article soon. See you!