Dear Betu,
I know you hate reading long mails, but I feel that I should document this emotion so that at least for me, that this Rakhi Day gets documented into my history at least. It was one of the happiest days of my life. But something went missing. My hug and a kiss on your forehead. But then, they say “Yahaan kisi ko mukammal jahaan nahin milta….”
Just two days before Rakhi, i.e. on Thursday (August 14), I stayed back at Didi’s place. Didi’s one of the cousins had come over and was going to village, so he got Rakhi tied that evening before leaving. After that Sanchu got the Pooja ki thaali, which had no dhoop or agarbatti in it. But she circled it around Jiju, put a teeka on his forehead and tied a Rakhi to him. There was another cousin of Didi there – Deepak, who said, “Abbe bhuji huyi thaali hai.” Jiju said, “Koi baat nahin, bhawna ko samjho.”
So was my day special. I could not understand and was confused as everybody is. Was it my sister tying a Rakhi or my daughter. Any way, I think it is both. So it was just special. I don’t know, where destiny will take us, but Rakhi would always be special for me henceforth. Wherever I’ll be or you’ll be, at least it’ll give me an opportunity to cross miles to meet you, and of course, even you can cross those miles too.
I wanted to spend the whole day with my daughter, my sister, but then, I can’t be that selfish too, to let Richa deprive you. May Ma bond our relationship further and bring in more and more and lots of Love into it, and I pray to Ma, that this father-daughter and brother-sister relationship comes earlier in our next lives.
While I pray to Ma, and ask her for all these boons, I thank her too at the same time, for sending a beatiful relationship and sending you as my daughter – one which I’d always yearned for – into my life. Dear daughter (what should I call you, Sakshi, Dhatri, or Betu or Sis), thank you for coming into my life, and dear daughter, I hope you’ll excuse me, if at times, I just go out of my way preaching you, as I’m just learning to be a father. It’s my first experience of being a father, you know. What a wonderful relationship it is, I just realised it lately. But at the same time, I fear that hope, I don’t suffocate you. If I do, dear daughter, you can always turn around and teach me – how to be a father and say, “Pa, you are suffocating me. Give me my space.”
OK fine. I’ll stop. I know I can go forever, but I know you can’t read forever. But I always cherish these mails. I can go back to them and relive those moments. May Ma Bless you. And May Ma take you to new heights.
Love you Betu and lots of LOVE and a HUG and a KISS on your forehead.
Love,
Bhai / Papa