Celebrating 40 years of togetherness...
Maazhe priya AAI aani BABA,
This is my first ever letter to you both. Shaalet ekhada
essay lihila asel me, something like "Letter to Parents", pan
tyanantar kadhi naahi… Not sure why, guess, there was no occassion like today
and guess my heart has been craving for an opportune setting to open up and
offload all that I store in my heart. However, today that I sit down to write
this, I realize, ki bolaayla khoop kaahi aahe, kititari memories aahet, cherish
karayla khoop saare events aahet, as your marital bond completes 40 years today and
your knowing completes more years than that...
The typical wishes of an anniversary like ‘wish you many more’, ‘may the bond be ever-lasting’, ‘lifetime of togetherness’ etc sound a little feeble after having witnessed the solid 40 years, still going strong. Nevertheless, heres wishing you a very happy and gratifying 40th anniversary… full of happy memories and hopes of an upbeat life ahead…
Today, you both, for sure, have been reflecting on how all these years went by, how you started your life together inconspicuously, how you together carved a world of your own cozy in its own unique way, how you together struggled and worked to make that world a warm and serene place to live, how you welcomed all near and dear ones into its fold and how fulfilling a journey it has been for you. It has been my bequest to have been nurtured in that astounding world and as far as I know, its been a privilege for everyone who has been part of this journey, be it our family, relatives or friends...
While I don’t remember all the minutest details of this journey with you, yet there are so many flashes and glimpses that are strewn in mind… of the mornings that used to invariably begin with Bhaktigeet on Vividh Bharti… of Aai’s numerous unyielding attempts to wake us up but in vain... and then would come one austere wake-up call from Baba and that would be enough to have us sit up straight in attention… of the self-served dinners, sitting down on the kitchen floor together… of cuddling up in bed under the embellished 'machchhar daani' … of Anand and me almost fighting everyday to grab Aai’s ‘maandi’ to rest our head on… of 'unhalyachi sutti' at our native place, replete with heaps of mangoes and cashews and kokums… our holidays and get-togethers with our over-zealous 'Patte group'… of the elaborately celebrated festivals, rejoiced with the festive shopping and 'faraal'… of Carrom games where Baba and me always lost to the remarkably talented team of Aai and Anand… of games of 'buddhibal' and 'patte' where I invariably supported Baba, and celebrated everyone else’s loss… of me playing with the home-made doll houses, made from Aai’s sarees and of then getting those sarees draped on myself… of the rides in trains and buses, where either of you would bag a window for me to stand in… of the walk in local bazaars, holding your hands and scramble through the 'maase bazaar' on weekends, quenching the soul with smell of the morning catch… of the (strict) instructions on whom to hang around with, where to go or not go and when to get back home… of waiting eagerly every evening for you to return home from work…
Of all the things, my most favorite memory flash is of both of you sitting next to each other every morning, sipping your morning cup of tea, made by Baba mostly. What an amazing start to the day it used to be!! Just to see both of you together… and to witness the silent conversations and heart-to-heart-talks between you… that image will remain etched in mind forever…
I want to thank you both for being the most wonderful parents, whose life revolved all around Anand and me throughout… and at the same time, for the freedom and space you provided me to take my decisions, for the encouragement and appreciation bestowed on me to chart my own life… and for the unflinching faith and unconditional support in every decision of mine… in all my honesty, I owe my existence to both of you…
Today, I know you feel disappointed with my lack of time for you, with the fact that I don’t meet you, call you or talk to you as much, that I don’t share the events and happenings with you, like before… I truly apologize for that… It is indeed not very difficult to find some time to spend with you, talk to you, but somehow have been very inept… but let me tell you today, that you are on my mind most of the times, whether or not I confess that to you… you are missed on many small and big occasions, whether or not I express that to you… you are mentioned in many conversations, whether or not you get to hear them…. above all, you should know that you are reflected in every thought, every word and every action of mine… because you are the enduring core within me… and will always be…
Love you both, a lot…
Tumchi Gauri
This is my first ever letter to you both. Shaalet ekhada
essay lihila asel me, something like "Letter to Parents", pan
tyanantar kadhi naahi… Not sure why, guess, there was no occassion like today
and guess my heart has been craving for an opportune setting to open up and
offload all that I store in my heart. However, today that I sit down to write
this, I realize, ki bolaayla khoop kaahi aahe, kititari memories aahet, cherish
karayla khoop saare events aahet, as your marital bond completes 40 years today and
your knowing completes more years than that...The typical wishes of an anniversary like ‘wish you many more’, ‘may the bond be ever-lasting’, ‘lifetime of togetherness’ etc sound a little feeble after having witnessed the solid 40 years, still going strong. Nevertheless, heres wishing you a very happy and gratifying 40th anniversary… full of happy memories and hopes of an upbeat life ahead…
Today, you both, for sure, have been reflecting on how all these years went by, how you started your life together inconspicuously, how you together carved a world of your own cozy in its own unique way, how you together struggled and worked to make that world a warm and serene place to live, how you welcomed all near and dear ones into its fold and how fulfilling a journey it has been for you. It has been my bequest to have been nurtured in that astounding world and as far as I know, its been a privilege for everyone who has been part of this journey, be it our family, relatives or friends...
While I don’t remember all the minutest details of this journey with you, yet there are so many flashes and glimpses that are strewn in mind… of the mornings that used to invariably begin with Bhaktigeet on Vividh Bharti… of Aai’s numerous unyielding attempts to wake us up but in vain... and then would come one austere wake-up call from Baba and that would be enough to have us sit up straight in attention… of the self-served dinners, sitting down on the kitchen floor together… of cuddling up in bed under the embellished 'machchhar daani' … of Anand and me almost fighting everyday to grab Aai’s ‘maandi’ to rest our head on… of 'unhalyachi sutti' at our native place, replete with heaps of mangoes and cashews and kokums… our holidays and get-togethers with our over-zealous 'Patte group'… of the elaborately celebrated festivals, rejoiced with the festive shopping and 'faraal'… of Carrom games where Baba and me always lost to the remarkably talented team of Aai and Anand… of games of 'buddhibal' and 'patte' where I invariably supported Baba, and celebrated everyone else’s loss… of me playing with the home-made doll houses, made from Aai’s sarees and of then getting those sarees draped on myself… of the rides in trains and buses, where either of you would bag a window for me to stand in… of the walk in local bazaars, holding your hands and scramble through the 'maase bazaar' on weekends, quenching the soul with smell of the morning catch… of the (strict) instructions on whom to hang around with, where to go or not go and when to get back home… of waiting eagerly every evening for you to return home from work…
Of all the things, my most favorite memory flash is of both of you sitting next to each other every morning, sipping your morning cup of tea, made by Baba mostly. What an amazing start to the day it used to be!! Just to see both of you together… and to witness the silent conversations and heart-to-heart-talks between you… that image will remain etched in mind forever…
I want to thank you both for being the most wonderful parents, whose life revolved all around Anand and me throughout… and at the same time, for the freedom and space you provided me to take my decisions, for the encouragement and appreciation bestowed on me to chart my own life… and for the unflinching faith and unconditional support in every decision of mine… in all my honesty, I owe my existence to both of you…
Today, I know you feel disappointed with my lack of time for you, with the fact that I don’t meet you, call you or talk to you as much, that I don’t share the events and happenings with you, like before… I truly apologize for that… It is indeed not very difficult to find some time to spend with you, talk to you, but somehow have been very inept… but let me tell you today, that you are on my mind most of the times, whether or not I confess that to you… you are missed on many small and big occasions, whether or not I express that to you… you are mentioned in many conversations, whether or not you get to hear them…. above all, you should know that you are reflected in every thought, every word and every action of mine… because you are the enduring core within me… and will always be…
Love you both, a lot…
Tumchi Gauri
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