My Dad's Suitcases.

While loafing around in my granny’s home yesterday, I found these suitcases lying on the outside baithak (kind of backyard patio). I don’t know why but it kind of got to me. I got emotional - not in a sad way but in a very thoughtful way.

These were my dad’s. He travelled frequently for work and mostly by air or by road for any 10-15 hours journey hiring a driver for his car. He was a very organized and minimalist travel packer. His wardrobe was filled with white half sleeve shirts, and black or gray formal pants.

He would always travel with these 2 hard suitcases - the lower one carried his clothes. He would carry 2 ironed shirts, 1 formal pant, 1 lungi (just like pajamas, something all South Indian dads wear proudly), 1 towel, 1 handkerchief, his shaving kit and toiletries. The other bag (the top small one) was his office bag - carrying all the files, documents and other paperwork. VIP was his most trusted and favourite brand when it came to bags. As was Bata for shoes, Bombay Dyeing for bedsheets, Raymond for his clothes, Gillette shaving razors, Cherry shoe polish - okay now I am flooded with all the things he used.

Anyway, back to the topic, these were his trademark materials that defined his personality. When I saw these suitcases, his figure came floating in front of me. Neatly pressed white half sleeve shirt tucked in a formal pant, a brown belt, a deep brown leather shoes polished to shine, formal socks, hair & moustache neatly combed, a Titan watch on his left hand and a million dollar smile. That’s how he dressed up. And that was how he would walk out of home every single time.

And today they lay there unused, uncared, unattended, rusted. In that one second they reminded me that my dad was no longer with us. I miss him every day no doubt, it’s been over 6 years and yet it feels like just yesterday when I think of him, but this scene hit me hard, because they depicted forgotten memories. Don't get me wrong, we think and talk of him daily, and he is no where close to being forgotten as I write this.

But when no new memories of a person are formed, the ones that are in our brains, they kind of start getting rusty with every passing year, and may be one day they get forgotten. Well, we might convince ourselves that this does not apply to loved ones, but I guess eventually it does. Maybe that's how life is and this world is, I don't know, I am just thinking out loud. Not that they get forgotten, but just that their memories get pushed aside to corners of our brains and they sit there waiting for us to clear the dust and rust off.

Just slowly fading away,. We wish we are remembered till eternity, but that's not the case and I guess that's the hard reality people tend to ignore. We will exist in the hearts of the closest, if not as active ingredient, as a passive stimulant, we will continue to impact their lives; like these rusted suitcases, sitting in some unseen corner of the home.

I did not move those suitcases. I left them there as is. I did not want these rusted suitcases to overshadow fresh memories of my dad. My memories of him are more current than all these materialistic stuffs. I think that’s why the wise say, don’t dwell much on materialistic things, it’s the non tangible elements of you that outlives physical you.

I don’t know if I will see these suitcases again, but they made me realize something very simple this time. So, cheers to my dad's suitcases.

Comments

Happy Father's Day!!!

From the time I started knowing people, one person that I always looked up to was my Dad. A person who believed I could move the world. A person who believed that I could do much more than what I would say I could. He might not be the perfect person. He surely would have done his share of mistakes and learnt from it. But as a father, he defined masculinity for me. He made me realize that masculinity was not a gender . It's a behavior, an act, a character that he wanted me to absorb as well. He taught me to be the man of the house - To be brave, to face challenges of life alone, not to entrust my future in other's hands. He gave me freedom to make decisions of my life, to make my own mistakes and learn from it. He made me feel that to run a family, to live one's life, you really don't need a MAN. Having someone beside you is always a blessing; but never make that the necessity of life. There was absolutely nothing that I could not do just because I was a girl. He ha...

Celebrating the Bridge for Friends!

Just like any other bridge, this one plays a role of connecting you and me. Some are brand new, very inviting, clean and pure, presenting to be strong, yet to get exposed to the harsh reality of life. Some have weathered in many seasons, with few bars of railings missing, few broken planks, yet they stand strong, like huge metal bridges. Some are reinforced with fresh materials every few years, so we stay connected strong and safe for entire lifetime. Some are beyond repair, standing there rusty and broken. Not because it's impossible to fix the gap, but just waiting for equal support from the other side to mend it. Some were meant to serve one another just once. The need to cross that bridge never arose again, doesn't mean we don't remember how important that bridge was in our journey. To new and old, deep and shallow, strong and weak, connected and broken friendships, I am grateful to have known you one way or another. Happy Friendships Day! 🍻

Whose purpose is more meaningful?

Who sets guidelines or standards for an acceptable purpose of life? Some are fighters whose ultimate purpose is to fight; for environment, for nation, for religion, for women, for sick, for poor, for justice, for universe etc..etc.. (doctors, lawyers, politicians, NGOs, environmentalists, socialists, defense forces, civil forces, economists, saints, monks,etc..). Some are creators whose purpose is to create that one masterpiece for the world (people like writers, musicians, artists, composers, scientists, researchers, innovators, farmers, influencers, engineers, chefs, designers, architects etc..etc..). Then comes the category of skill or hobby loving folks who find purpose of life in their skills or passion like acting, teaching, singing, climbing, mountaineering, sports etc... But all these together form just 5-10% of the society. The major part of this world don't have any said purpose. Not everyone's ultimate purpose is to save the world. Rest of this world lead...

इन यादों को यकीन है ||

शीशे की दरारों में फसे सूरज की किरणे फर्श पे जमी हुई कीचड़ की दाग हर चीज़ पे धूल का पर्दा बिछा हुआ जैसे ओडी हो यादों की घूँघट इन सबने || मानो जैसे हर दीवार केहती कोई कहानी है जैसे वो टूटा हुआ आइना छुपाती किसीकी जवानी है उस झूले में जैसे दबी किसीकी मुस्कराहट है सब कैद है बस इंतज़ार में एक उसके || वो सावन जब भीगते थे घंटो तक आँगन में भागते थे एक दूसरे को छेड़ते पूरे घर में अब न वो बारिश रही न वो मासूम छेड़कानी बस रह गयी है तो ये फर्श पे जमी कीचड की दाग || वो आइना जिसने निहारा उनका खूबसूरत साथ जो शर्माके नज़रे झुकाती जब वो पास उसके जाता बालो में गजरा लगाता, काजल का टिका लगाता इसे भी इंतज़ार है फिर से उस जवान महोब्बत का || वो झूला आज भी डूबते सूरज से पूछता है क्यूँ ज़ंग लगी है उसमें, क्यूँ नहीं प्यार से उसे कोई झुलाता न वो शाम रहा जब वो एक दुसरे की बाहों में घंटों तक झूलते और न वो सूरज जिस से वो एक दुसरे की नादान शिकायत करते || बस इक आहट से उनके, इस खँडहर में जान आये उनके छूने से जी उठे हर एक चीज़ हट जाये यादों क...

Combat with Mosquitoes in Delhi Airport - 15 Dead

Yeah, if I owned a news channel or newspaper; then headlines today would read exactly like this. I was in transit in Delhi Indira Gandhi Airport and I had to wait for 4 hours; and trust me it was hell. It’s been ages since I have actually fought with mosquitoes, so for a bit I felt I might lose the battle with them. In my childhood days, during rainy season, it was a time pass for us kids, clapping hands trying to kill mosquitoes. As disgusting as it may seem; back then it definitely was a fun filled activity. It’s been over couple of decades now that I have actually dealt with such an army of healthy & fit mosquitoes. I spent first hour trying to be civilized; just shooing them away; but then I had had enough. I went from defence to offence. Within the next hour I killed roughly 15 mosquitoes; captured in my closed fist more than 10 mosquitoes and released these war prisoners safely alive. Honestly even today, it kind of gives a sense of accomplishment to accurately ...

Listener of the Fallen Stars

In the far end of the world, on the land stretched with endless deserts, walks an old merchant, Mejhul, the nameless, the faceless. The name had fallen on him, as he was an orphan raised on the streets of different cities, growing up along the caravans of traders. And eventually he had come to like his name, for he was unknown, moving from one new place to another, no home to return to, no one that he belonged to. A nomad, a wanderer, he travels with his camel, Arkadash, who was truly his friend. From the time he ventured on this journey, Arkadash was with him, for over three decades now. Mejhul spent his life, with half the year in the world out there, around people and their unlimited stories. And the rest half of the year of winter months in these deserts, wrapped in the night sky and their eternal tales. He was no longer nameless though, he was now known, known as the Listener of the Fallen Stars. Sitting in front of his tent in this fairly cold winter, lean...

SriLanka Backpacking Itinerary - 14 days - One Country - Many Experiences

Finally, I tried to put together the itinerary of the 14 days backpacking trip in SriLanka I did with a friend in December 2019. Some general notes - For accommodation, we used Hostelworld.com ; Booking.com ; Airbnb.ca On an average $7 - $15 USD we get good accommodation in hostel/airbnb. Coconut water - 80 LKR (because I drank a lot of it :)) TukTuk - always suggest you check with locals on what's the average price, so you can negotiate with the drivers better. Bus & train - most preferred mode of transportation, cheap, depending on the time of the day there are chance of it being crowded, but hey - if you want to get the sense of the place and people, go for it. In the expenses I have not included accommodation or food or rides within city. Used Splitwise app to track my daily expenses. Carry USD in cash. local banks do give good exchange rate if you don't convert everything in Colombo airport. People bank of China did not charge ...

My Favorite Read - 11 - City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

An absolutely delicious novel of which I savoured every single page. After "A man called Ove by Fredrick Backman", this is the first time that I could not stop smiling throughout my read, and trust me you don't get to experience that quite often. So, thank you Elizabeth Gilbert for such an entertaining novel. Vivian moris is the woman I fell in love with along with dozen other characters. Such a colorful novel, and the casual manner in which it's delivered, did the perfect trick. Okay, let me back up a bit. Starting with Vivian's entry into New York back in 1940s, this is how she explains it to Angela, " But this is a city that gets born anew in the fresh eyes of every young person who arrives here for the first time. So that city, that place—newly created for my eyes only—will never exist again. It is preserved forever in my memory like an orchid trapped in a paperweight. That city will always be my perfect New York. " And that is exactly how I felt wh...

Reading between the lines

“ What makes you think it’s you? ” She asked cocking her head to her right giving him a studying glance. He thought he was sure, but now looking at her piercing eyes, he wasn’t so sure after all. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and clearing his throat said “ Well, you know, you always write about broken heart. And ahem, we both know, how that happened. So.. you know, I thought that it’s written around our relationship .” “ Hmm ” she said, straightening and sipping her bourbon. “ But now looks like I was a fool to think that? ” Now it was his turn to shot that questioning glance. “ You were always a fool. You know that right. But anyway you were my fool! ” She smiled. “ I like the sound of ‘my’ there. But I am getting a feeling there’s no place for it anymore? ” he asked with slight nervousness. “ Tell me Erhan, why are you really here? I have my assumptions but I want to hear it from you. Tell me. ” She leaned forward, throwing her full weight on the table and her full atten...

Life a Wonderful Twister

(In response to my Friend Chiru's Blog - Life is a Wonderful Twister. Dated 10/26/2010) Life ... This 4 lettered word has the entire world woven around it. I always felt if there is anything at all as powerful as this word - LIFE . Every word you speak is related to this word directly or indirectly. Everything you see, feel, sense has the essence of LIFE . Every minute we spend adds memories to the heart, experience to your mind, people to your world, happiness/sadness/anger/ ecstasy/many more such feelings to your emotions. We begin our LIFE with only 1 person in our world - Amma (Mother). We are born and we have 2 people in our world - Mom and Dad. Then we add Sisters, Brothers, Uncles, Aunts, Grandpas, Grandmas, teachers, friends, colleagues, girl friends, boy friends, husband, wife(husbands/wives in some cases), in laws, children, grandchildren and so on. Our world grows as we grow. It's amazing the way li...

When Silence Speaks...

Search This Blog