30 April
Gurgaon
Hello love
This time of the year again! I
have been eagerly waiting for this and so have you. Each day, for the past one
month, you drove me crazy asking how many days it is still to go. Well, our
wait is over, today is the day – your day! Yes, your birthday, my gorgeous!
On this day, not just you, two
other people are equally excited, if not more. Well, you guessed it right. Your
Maa and I. We still remember the tiny you, fluffy as a cotton candy, as I
carried you home from the hospital. My heart still skips a beat thinking of the
surreal moment!
Then those times, when you would
implore me to chase the monsters from under your bed, they still make me smile
as I think of them. Today, my heart swells with pride as I see you as a smart
and confident young person who has a mind of her own and is not scared to voice
her opinion when it matters.
Like each year, as I sit down to pen
this letter (this is now an annual ritual which I enjoy and look forward to,) I
also take the time to reflect on the year gone by.
As parents how did we fare? I am
sure there are so many things we could have done but missed doing. Or stuff we
did, I am sure, could have been done differently or even better. There was so
much more to share with you, so many to stories to narrate. We could have
smiled more often, cuddled you closer, hugged you tighter and encouraged you
more. Places yet to be visited, journeys to be undertaken, dreams yet to be
dreamt…
I wish, someday, there is a score
card for parents too.
The year gone by has been
unprecedented, it will be recorded in our history books with a special footnote
– when the world literally shut down! The
corona pandemic played havoc in our lives, many of us lost a loved one. With no
medicine or vaccine in sight then (thankfully the vaccine is available now,)
living with the thought of contracting the deadly virus was very real and
daunting.
Schools, colleges, markets, and places
of worship – everything shut shop. Lockdown was announced, akin to being under
house arrest. Masks and sanitizers become our constant companions. Frequent
washing of hands with soap became second nature. Anything brought inside the
home had to be properly sanitized including edible items.
The only saving grace was
technology. It is the unifier in these troubled times. Zoom and Skype calls became
the new normal. Not just office meetings, even birthday celebrations and family
get togethers turned completely virtual. There were few instances when couples
even got married virtually. Hope they are united now.
The pandemic has been ruthless,
the worst hit were children. Parents and teachers were completely at their wits
end. It took a lot of thinking on their part to figure out creative ways of
engaging children at home. The children, of course, have been very supportive. Most
of you did not even fully understand the import of the lockdown rules and the
reason it was imposed, yet your entire brigade rose to the occasion and listened
to us elders without question.
The worst is behind us now. The
vaccine is out and as I write this, there are scores of us who are getting the
shots. The real heroes have been the healthcare professionals and the
front-line workers who risked their own lives to ensure we stayed safe. We must
be eternally grateful to them.
The pandemic may have held the world to
ransom. It tried its level best to spread fear and uncertainty in the minds of everyone.
It was almost successful till it was pitted against human resilience.
Of all the things the year 2020
will be remembered for, it will be the saga of human resilience - the unique
ability of humans to bounce back from an adversity. As we lift ourselves by the
sheer strength of our resolve, we also extend a helping hand to others and in
the process lift them too.
So many of us, during this
difficult time, made ourselves available for others. Feeding the needy, caring
for the destitute, lending a patient ear to the elderly, being the good
Samaritan in someone’s life by donating plasma – we did all of these without
worrying about our own safety or any expectation. The doctors, nurses, paramedics, police, front
line workers and volunteers caring for the covid19 patients were the finest
examples of human resilience in action.
This is also the theme of my
message to you on your birthday, my sweat one!
As you grow and write your own
rules to navigate the world, never underestimate the power of human resilience.
Cultivate it with a maniacal fervor. Then sprinkle it with oodles of compassion.
If you can do this, you are
sorted for life. No highflying university degree, no royalty or blue blood and
no luck will be required for you to chase your dreams.
Remember this mantra always. This
is also the core of the Ubuntu
philosophy – common humanity – a person is a person through other people.
Nearer home, one of our sacred
Hindu text – the Maha Upanishad laid this down may centuries ago – the concept
of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – the world is but one large family.
You will read more about these as
you grow older.
So princess, remember these words
of your Babaa. The darkest hour of the night is always followed by sunrise.
Nothing is permanent here, so let us share our talents with others and love
each one equally. Let us be kind and sensitive to each other’s needs. The Earth
is equally yours as it is mine.
Before I sign off, I wish to
share these beautiful lines with you, I picked them up from a forwarded message
that I received on social media:
I
wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may
appear.
I
wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more…
I
wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I
wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear
bigger.
I
wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting…
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I
wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good- bye.
Love,
hugs, and kisses Aamu – Today on your special day - I wish you enough! Do good,
be kind and in the process live your life just enough!
Yours
Babaa
