Meet My Dad

Meet my Dad!


The world calls him by many names,
I call him Pa and sometimes, Dad
More than just a typical father
He has been the greatest friend I have ever had

I remember Pa teaching me mathematics
And how hard he would always try
To my never-ending silly questions,
‘It’s about logic’, was his reply

Yet, when I still failed
He never took it too much to heart
And always patted my back with
‘You have to make a fresh start’

I remember once a woman remarked
On my poor spoken English and accent
He came to my rescue praising me
On my speaking and singing talent

He took all the pains
To teach us to speak English
And taught me to ride bicycle
And my brother, how to do ‘shoe-polish’

How I miss his bedtime stories
That he narrated to us with great flair
And all this after a long day’s work
That was the extent of his care

I can’t forget his rustic anecdotes
Of how he grew up in ‘khalghat’
How he climbed trees as a child
And drove his schoolteachers mad


I cherish his experiences as a Bible speaker
For I have watched him deliver
The most fascinating facts of the book
Without a tinge of anxiety or quiver

By the time we grew up
We knew most of the Bible stories
Learnt to appreciate our existence
And thank God for His glories

I remember how carefully he
Made us learn to cope with life’s realities
And ignored a lot of our misgivings
Forgiving our numerous infirmities

When I took up journalism
He wasn’t surprised
He knew after all, I have his DNA
And so writing became my enterprise

Abhi inherited Dad’s anger
And a lot of his sensibility
I got my curls from him
And of course, his positivity

Oh how I miss his silly jokes
And some of his very stupid shayari
And when I’d grumble for insulting ‘urdu’
He would get away with “Just a joke, sweety”

To life’s trials and difficulties
He taught us to be brave and strong
But I have been missing all his lessons
And his rebukes now for so long



‘Grow up’, he keeps telling me often
and thinks I am still a kid
Yet, spends sleepless nights missing me
He himself is like a child, every bit

I tell him, “Dad, u also need to grow up
To be a father to a grown-up child”
And so he sublimes a bit
For his feelings are so sweet and mild

Every time he remembers me
He gives me a call
Saying, “Just wanted to hear your voice,
My child, that’s all”

He says, “I am proud of you”
And makes me feel every inch good
In every small and big decisions of mine
Beside me, he has always stood

I can’t thank God enough for my Dad
And how he has been such a blessing
And yes, I forgot to tell you
He also has a great sense of dressing

I miss you Pa very much here
Now that we are quite far
Still your memories make me smile
Your lessons guide me like a star

‘Thank you’, Dad
for being the best Dad on earth,
for inspiring me to be a good daughter and for loving me so, I know I am not worth