Love, Life & Happiness

You are the drop of dew, After a long journey through the seemingly never-ending desert. Surviving a summer, blistering through the heat, as I reach some kind of oasis to find Gods reaching our to me, with their heavenly hands, handing me over a sweet, tiny figure, which stares at me with a toothless, trusting face. It is in fact, less of a face, rather, beyond the softness of tiny palms, beyond the gums pink in anticipation of teeth yet to emerge, beyond the unsure arms stretched towards m. It is the promise that those blue eyes hold for me, The promise which my daughter whispers to me through softly spoken mono-syllables "Even though I may not understand a word of the gibberish you people seem to speak, I understand you, baba , the way you have never been understood before, I am the happiness of the opera that dawns on the audience, after the fat lady has sung."

You are the blessed hope in the middle of the wretched dream that life is. When you grow up, you will become like me, and would demand the proof of my love for you. Sometime by asking me to give up all that I have lived by, as an outdated idea; By asking me to give up my old man banter as a proof that I care for you; But for now, my hand on your tiny shoulder and a small pat is big enough a gesture to make you feel the love and trust and safety of your father's cuddle, As you briefly cry in your sleep, and go back to your innocent dreams the moment I put you close on my shoulder.. I briefly savour this love.. Beyond demands and proofs, Beyond doubts and questions, Beyond trust and Betrayals.

Nonu is now thirteen months old. Celebrated her first birthday last month and this month we had visited kalol. I was so surprised when Nonu would not go to her own grandparents in her birthday, it seemed very important to ensure that she gets to know them better. So, took her home last weekend, although only for a day. But it was good and worth it. Before that, right after Nonu's birthday, we had taken off to Haridwar, Rishikesh and Mussorie with my brother in law and his family (read Travelogue). It is very important from this stage for the baby to understand family values, and appreciate the roots. It was during that visit that her first couple of teeth were noticed (on 25th of May, 2009) and now she has almost started growing like a full grown human being. Earlier, her sole effort in life was guided towards being close to parents, now at times she tries to snuggle away from our arms, to wander on the floor. The independence is endearing and worrying at time, as she takes fir