Skip to main content

A fatherly story

You plant a jamun seed in your tiny little soil bed.

One fine day, you see a 2 feet sapling in it's place.

It is jostling for space and has another one of its species for company.

You ponder over the issue and decide to re - plant them both to your factory.

Too much water and too sandy and polluted soil, makes them sad and bare of leaves.

You become sad on seeing a stick of a to be tree in the ground. Its leaves are dried and gone. Probably the plant is now dead.

One fine evening, you are roaming in your factory, trying to do (as usual) 4-5 tasks at once.

In the middle of a discussion with someone, you stop. You are suddenly devoid of speech. One of the dead sticks is now showing spots of green.

You keep talking as you go near and check the other plant too. Your heart thumping with anticipation.

Yes their are green spots on this one too. Probably a sign of new leaves sprouting out.

So, the Jamun saplings won't die after all. You feel excited, happy and grateful to God, to allow the plants a life.

You want to shout and yell, but the clock is ticking and their is just no time. Another meeting awaiting within 10 minutes.

So you don't go very close to the plants and observe them for about ten seconds from a distance.

While coming back home, 3 hours later, you don't mind the jostling traffic and the exhaustive pollution. You are too happy. You are reminded of the plants again, and make a note to take a closer look and spend more time with the saplings.

You lie back in bed at 1 a.m. in the morning and think of the Jamuns again. They shall survive. And so will 4 mango ones. Being the same size approx. they all could grow up together as friends. None of them would ever be lonely. You decide to make compost for them with your own hands.
No outside manure or fertilizers would do for them.

You are so proud of your saplings that you write a blog post on them. While staring at their photos on your mobile.

Is this what means to be a father? Does this mean to care?

Comments

tamanna said…
:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

Also read

Cutting people off isn’t strength—It is a trauma response

Your ability to cut people off and self-isolate is not a skill you should be proud of—It is a trauma response Cutting people off and self-isolating may feel like a protective shield, but it is often rooted in unresolved or unhealed trauma and an inability to depend on others. While these behaviors seem like self-preservation, they end up reinforcing isolation and blocking meaningful connections. Confronting these patterns, seeking therapy, and nurturing supportive relationships can help break this unhealthy cycle. Plus, a simple act like planting a jasmine plant can symbolise the start of your journey towards emotional healing. Why do we cut people off and isolate? If you’re someone who prides themselves on “cutting people off” or keeping a tight circle, you might believe it’s a skill—a way to protect yourself from betrayal, hurt, or unnecessary drama. I get it. I’ve been there, too. But here’s the thing: this ability to isolate yourself is not as empowering as it may seem. In fact, i...

A tale of 1 country: Brothers in arms

I stand at my balcony and watch the unfortunate (no not unfortunate) events unfold 2 floors down. Dadi (grandmother) has fallen to the ground and is crying, my mother has a face of steel, its frozen into a blank stare; I know this state, I have seen it before, she is controlling herself showing a brave and proud wife to the world. She is helping dadi. Uncle keeps pointing past the gate and is shouting something at dada (grandfather). Dada has just locked the gate and is walking back to the house. Past the gate I can see a group of people all clad in white, surrounding something lying on the ground covered with a white cloth. My governess Shobhadi stands next to me holding me, afraid that I'll run downstairs into the scene unfolding. She and and the servants have been given strict orders that I can not be allowed downstairs. Dada thinks I do not understand what is happening, he thinks I cannot comprehend what is going on, but I do. The year is 19...

Does India need communal parties?

I think, it was Tan's post on this blog itself, Republic Day Event, where this question was raised. My answer. YES. we need communal parties even in Independent, Secular India. Now let me take you, back to events before 1947. When India was a colony of the British Empire. The congress party, in its attempt to gain momentum for the independence movement, heavily used Hinduism, an example of which is the famous Ganesh Utsav held in Mumbai every year. Who complains? No one. But at that time, due to various policies of the congress, Muslims started feeling alienated. Jinnah, in these times, got stubborn over the need of Pakistan and he did find a lot of supporters. Congress, up till late 1940's never got bothered by it. And why should we? Who complains? No one. But there were repercussions. The way people were butchered and slaughtered during that brief time when India got partitioned, was even worse than a civil war scenario. All in the name of religion. And there indeed was cr...