The Wise Guy

This is an incident which I can never forget. It was something that was funny and it also taught us a good lesson. Let me get to it then.

Last year, my parents, husband and sister went to some place in Tirunelveli district. My dad took us there telling it was a great place to spot some birds. We went there on a Sunday afternoon in our car. It was situated in some remote, sun scorching village. We arrived there and went up the tower that was exclusively built for bird-watching. Yes, it was quite a beautiful place with a bed of water spread in front and trees further beyond. We saw some ducks and we could see a few storks as well. In a distance, not very clear we could see swarms of pelicans and their nests beyond the waters, perched on the trees. We were not able to see much and my sister was complaining about the distance.

We were standing looking hopelessly around when a man came in a moped. He looked kind of clumsy and shabby. He wore a lungi draped around his waist. A typical villager we thought when he got down from his moped. When he came climbing up the tower with a pair of binoculars, we were a little surprised as mostly villagers don't possess these kind of gadgets. He continued to look at the birds.

It might sound rude, but at times me and my sister have this bad habit of ridiculing people whom we don't know. This time my sister began. She was standing behind the man who was engrossed in watching the birds and started mocking in English in a loud way, " Gibsy, tell this wasted guy to give us the binoculars too na? we are simply sitting here right! look at him staring.. selfish guy!". I was smiling at this when the shabby dressed villager turned and spoke in a perfect English to my sister, " Here ma'am, you can take a look if you want too.."

You should have seen the eye-popping look on my sister's face. Boy, did she feel embarrassed! The so called village man was a researcher who had published 3 papers on birds, won medals and visited the States often to conduct and present seminars. He spoke with such knowledge and intelligence that baffled us. We gave him the binoculars back and thanked him. He sure did prove us who was the wise guy. It was indeed a memorable, funny incident but we also realized never to make judgments based on outward looks. 

 "Appearances can always seem deceptive"

My Unforgettable Hero

This post is about a man who made me understand the virtues of being a human. My dad. I am clueless as to where to start when my mind is swimming in an ocean of beautiful memories.

The oldest memory of my dad would be back in Bahrain when we were tiny tots. He would take us out of our tiny abode and buy us ice-cream cones and we would stand in the street licking it to glory. Whenever he came home from work he would carry a bag of goodies for all 3 of us. Then all of us would sit cross legged in a circle and eat our dinner, laughing, talking or joking. When we had our summer vacations, there would be a ring on the door bell with a parcel of hot sandwiches waiting for us. Even after I got married, he would visit me frequently carrying a bag of my favorite pastries. I can still imagine the sly smile on his face when he unwraps little surprises for us. His eyes would sparkle with happiness looking at our delight. Seeing us happy was all he ever lived for. He always taught us these old proverbs and sayings. Yes, it used to bore us to death but now it all makes sense when he is not there.

He would ride on his Karizma and end up with his hair standing funny. I used to ride with him to the fields, colleges, shops holding him smelling the scent of his shirt. How I miss those precious days. He never used to accept the fact that he was old. He always believed he was strong and he truly was. 

He even had nicknames for all of us. Mine was 'newdles'- a mixture of noodles and needles highlighting my thin frame. I still remember the times me and my siblings used to make fun of him so bad. He never took anything to his heart and would retaliate with equal ferocity. We all would end up rolling with laughter. There were sour times too but it just made us bond all the more.

The thing about him that was so remarkable was his caring and generous heart. He would do anything for people in need, never thinking twice. I remember an incident in which a beggar was standing in my neighbor’s house. My dad was just about to start the bike when he saw a dog charging towards the poor fellow. He quickly went and shooed the dog away and told the beggar to be careful. I know it might sound so irrelevant to others but it made my dad look like a hero to me. I love his humility though he did take pride in things that needed it.

My mom, brother, sister and myself are here today because of him. He was like a friend to us. I can never imagine otherwise. The feel of his rough hard-toiled hands, his sweet wicked smile, and his funny tag names for all of us will always be alive in me. Though tears well up each and every day I think of him, I know he is peaceful and safe in my God's hands. 

“Happy Birthday Daddy...” We love you and miss you too… a lot...more than any word in this entire world could ever describe.