From my Dad to my Son! Part - 1 : LOVE

Dear Son,

Its been more than 14 years now, God took away my dad as he was short of good people himself. I was 15 that time. It's almost half of my life he is physically away from me. Although I rarely felt him away from me emotionally, spiritually or mentally. He has been in everything which has brought his family where it is today.

I grew, I studied, I fell, I rose, I worked, I got married and now I have a son myself. In this journey he has been with me and whenever I felt alone, he would somehow make me feel he is around. He is my God and has been strengthening me all along. He has been with me all these years in form of my Mom and Sister.

My lovely wife delivered a beautiful 'you' a few weeks back and I felt dad around you. I do not know how happy he would have been holding you in his arms. He was a very emotional person.  But I still cannot imagine how much he would have loved his grandson. He would certainly feel like:

" TO LOOK AT YOU;
TO LOOK  INTO YOU;
TO  LOOK UPTO YOU;
SHALL FOREVER BE THE JOY OF MY LIFE"

My child, this is from one of the first pages of my Dad's dairy for you.

Kid, when you will be big enough to read this, I want to gift you your grand dad, bring him back from his diaries, from his anecdotes, from the time we spent with him, from his aura, from the love he spread around him to you. I want you to be like him, love like him, be grand like him, have a big heart like him.

He was a friend of friends, a lover, a philosopher, a thinker, person with open arms, an optimist, a believer, a strong man who loved his family.
He writes in his diary from 1973:

"YOU ARE NOBODY TILL SOMEBODY LOVES YOU".

That's the first lesson he would teach you. You are born out of love. Love is the very basis of your existence. He loved his family, all of us more than anything. He would have tears in his eyes if we were leaving him for vacations, he would cry if I cried when I fell ill. He would love us like no other. This is what his life was made of. Little joys in our eyes and he would enjoy them.
Son, my father imbibed in me this feeling of love. I want people around me to love me as this is existence to me. He lived this love. I saw people loving him, people still love him. Just when I thought about posting his diary lessons for you, a lot of people showered their love on him. He was loved by too many people, more than I would ever know!

Son, love fearlessly and be someone whom the world loves. That is what I believe he believed in. Love was Godly to him. He further writes on being close to people

"TO BE CLOSER TO GOD, BE CLOSE TO PEOPLE"

That is the essence of existence.

This series I am writing for you my Son as my dad said:

"A WISE SON  MAKETH A GLAD FATHER". I hope my dad is glad for me and I will be glad for you.

Lovingly yours'


* All sentences in capital are excerpts of my Dad's diary (which dates back to 1973).

Religion

Dear All,

Watching cricket alone in a hotel's restaurant, having some chips and after hectic 3 days of travel, a lot of thoughts cross mind. Though this has happened a few times with me, but these days my writing self is pushing a bit from inside.
I just finished writing a blog on current macro political scenario a few days back. Got good hits!
I lack the knack of building a background and then subtly going on the topic which great writers so naturally possess!
Last 2 days I was in a land where politics and religion crossed paths and then devil unleashed. Now the state is back by 100 years. Punjab.
Religion has been the biggest weakness of public that politics has used. The intersection of both has killed hundreds and thousands. These two things are like petrol and fire, you bring them closer and there will be a blast!
This intersection is neither new nor unintentional. This petrol and fire combination is being used very regularly since ages and in very planned manner.
But the conman man is too emotional about both, religion being top in the order. I fail to understand the relevance.
Religion is something very personal. To me religion is a belief in an almighty who takes care of my world. That can be God or even any person whom I have immense faith in. Someone whom I can look up to with closed eyes and a sulking or a joyous heart. For me my God are my parents! Period! I don't believe in any other God!
Further all religions are way to lead a happy and healthy life. Pure science discovered 100s and 1000s years by our ancestors (and not science discovered by westerners). So far I am yet to come across a religion or a way of life that teaches violence. Consistently all religions as far as I have understood in my 30 years of life (yes I am disclosing I am 30 now, and worried too!) have taught love, peace and togetherness. That's it. That's how religions is relevant. It's purely personal and to be kept at home, mind and heart not on streets.
We as common citizens need to understand that no one can disrespect any one else's religion if we don't bring religion to streets.
Politicians pay to create disturbance and only way they can do is by instigating the point of religion.
If we believe in our Gods so strongly and know that he is so great then how can anyone insult that almighty!
So where's the point of disrespect? So where's the fight?
It's important as a society we keep our religions at our home and use it as a tool to stay healthy and happy rather than fight over it and get ourselves killed through hands of politicians (here I am referring to all those who manipulate religion in some way or another as politicians).
To me my religion may be important but I am least bothered about your views on that! SIMPLE!
And if I am actually bothered, then I am a weak follower of my parents; my God!
So decide whether you want to follow your religion blindly or just take it as a way to live your life healthy and happy.

Signing off!

Siddharth