A tribute to my dad on Father’s Day
By Vandana Gadia
This past February, I spent a month in India with a single-minded agenda – to enjoy some quality time with my parents. My evening walks with my dad were the highlight of my stay. We went on slow, meditative walks, chatting, laughing, reminiscing, and, most importantly, truly bonding. Dad shared many anecdotes and narrated insightful analyses of the TV show characters he watched, … with childlike enthusiasm.
This was the same dad I had known as an authoritarian patriarch, whose booming voice ensured pin-drop silence when he entered a room. His principles were rock-solid, and his values, infallible. He had worked for the local Pune municipal corporation his entire life, never accepting a single bribe. When transferred to a department rife with corruption, he quietly requested a reassignment.
Dad was a strict disciplinarian who, in his early years, had taken on three jobs but refused to compromise his integrity. His word was final in our household, and there was no back-answering , even during our teenage years. He commanded respect, yet was (and is) the most loving father one could have. The compassion behind his tough exterior was palpable.
Seeing dad transform from this strong, disciplinarian into someone who enjoyed TV shows and had all the time on his hands, occasionally shedding a tear when he missed me, but most of all, humbly folding his hands in “Michhami dukkadam” (customary apology in Jainism), made me both, happy and sad. Tears well up in my eyes thinking about how softened Dad is now.
I feel immensely blessed that I can call him and hear that voice that still booms on the long distance call
. I love you, Dad. Happy Father’s Day. 
