By “Stand here. You look taller than yesterday.”
My father stood at the door beaming at me holding a measuring tape in his hand. It has become his routine to measure my height every week. I have not grown at all since last year but to no avail. He seems to have made it his life’s mission to make me grow each week. The sayings about how parents are like roots of a plant protecting you from winds and storms; supporting you in your growth actually makes literal sense.
In this male-dominated society we live in, he never treated me less just because I was born a girl. He has supported and encouraged me in every step of my life. No matter how difficult the circumstances, his presence hovers around me as a safe haven. Always ready with his extra supply of dad jokes and free concerts at home, he has kept me smiling through everything. He is a symbol of integrity and kindness. It is because of him that I learned about selflessness and helping others. He is the person I have always looked up to in life. He says that the very first word I uttered was ‘papa’ and since then, every word, every drop of ink I splatter on these pages burst with his essence.
As is the case of many fathers, my father too is not very good at expressing love through words. Nevertheless, it’s there; escaping in quiet bursts like the sunlight seeping through the branches of the banyan. I often find myself hiding behind pages and metaphors to show how much he means to me. So, whenever I show him my writings of him, he replies with, “I thought you were writing about me. Why have you suddenly started talking about trees?”
Of course, this father-daughter relationship is not all rainbows and daisies. We end up disagreeing on many things. But to be completely honest, I actually love debating with him. This could lead to a cold war between us; however, I can’t really stay without cracking up a joke just to watch his wrinkles give way to a smile.
Just yesterday he asked me again to stand straight so he could measure my height and with dancing eyes, he said, “You’re an inch taller!”
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मेरा लागि तिमी तिम्रा लागि म: ‘बाबा’ | कविता | Hari Bhakta Dhital | [Offline Thinker]
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