Fathers' Day: Ten gems my father shared with me

Sharing something with your father begins at the age when you start loving him, and understanding his role in your life. Though for kids, the role of a father changes from being 'a father' to 'a friend' to 'a teacher' (to an ATM for some) to 'a guide for life', for him we always remain his children.

Sharing something with your father begins at the age when you start loving him, and understanding his role in your life. Though for kids, the role of a father changes from being 'a father' to 'a friend' to 'a teacher' (to an ATM for some) to 'a guide for life', for him we always remain his children.



On this father's day, here are ten gems my father shared with me which will stay with me all my life.



1. Shoes

"To fit into someone's shoes" is never easy, a lot is expected from you, especially when they're your father's shoes. But here, quite literally, I could fit in my father's shoes. Most fathers are seldom cool to buy shoes keeping their son's choice in mind, but my dad always takes me to shopping , as anything of size #7 or #8 fits both of us perfectly.

2. Wrist watches

He values time, so much so that he makes sure I too have a good wristwatch, always. Apart from the quality time, we occasionally share watches for parties.



3. A pair of trousers

Yeah, while he always liked the khakee corduroy, it shrunk soon and came down to me. And this was also the case with many other things… from shirts gifted by relatives, who thought 42 would fit him, to pants which the tailor didn’t leave a margin to alter.



4. Pens

He's an avid scribbler and often wakes up in the wee hours of the day to pen down a poem he just composed in his thoughts. Though he never bought any expensive pen, he likes to be gifted pens, and has a good collection of sparkling metallic ones. And when I'm formally dressed, he loves to tuck one inside my shirt's pocket.



5. Books and songs

Unlike all fathers in the scholarly world, he didn’t share much. While my library had some from Marathi and English, one thing he puts me to read is Reader's Digest.



And his playlist is what I listen to.. from Kishore Kumar to Mohit Chouhan, Neeraj to Gulzar, RD to Rahman. Even his favourite Ghulam Ali ghazal is the one I love listening to on lonely starry nights.

6. Cars keys

One thing for sure: My moto-romance has trickled down from his unfulfilled fantasies for cars. He loves to drive and we often make a deal on who will take the wheel. While he encouraged me to take the first gear of driving, I love driving for him taking the back seat and enjoying the scenes from the window he has missed all his life.



7. Bank Account passwords

Ahem ahem! The responsibility of finances is finally made to realise when you should be doing what your previous generation did at your age. At this phase of post-teenage, I was college student. And being outside the town, he shared the four digits of trust with me. And the cards too!



8. Money management

How the house runs, where all the money comes from and goes to, divide your expenses and savings! All lessons, from banking to insurances and investments, no better person to teach than a father. Only then did I come to know how he managed those funds needed for my admissions.

9. Anecdotes about society and status

These are personal notes which vary from family to family, father to father. Stereotypical Indian parents would say, "See how bright Sharmaji''s kid has turned out to be?" But fathers today have a cooler approach towards what society means to their kids. My dad had just one warning to share, "Forget the world. Make sure whatever you do, when asked, you should be able to see into our eyes and say it!"



10. The guide to love and life

His passion for life makes me live it more like him. And I follow his funda of "Live it like a King", but never ignore your Prajaa or the masses. Because, when the world around you is happy because of you, you're living your fullest.



While these things are personal to me, the feeling of being a child to father is known to all.



Tell us what your father shares/has shared with you. Also, what are your plans for your father?



Happy Father's Day.