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Sunday, June 21, 2009

Father’s Day in New York

Will They Still Need Me?

“This holiday was one etched in sadness as well as thankfulness.” A pastor in the town of Monangah in West Virginia, perhaps the poorest state in the US, said these words at a memorial service for 360 men, who were killed in a coal mine disaster in December 1906. His Central United Methodist Church was the site of the first celebration of Father’s Day in 1908. The prayers were in honor of the fathers who died. The day was observed in different places at different times. It became official when President Richard Nixon proclaimed it a national holiday in 1972; the day fixed was the third Sunday in June.

Many years later, when I lived in Chicago, my first daughter was born. To mark the occasion, my mother gave us a plaque, which said “You should give your children roots and wings.” Four years later, my younger one showed up on a snowy, cold December afternoon. With two children competing for attention and resources, I became aware of the role of the father.

Fast forward to Father’s Day 2007: my younger daughter, a resident New “Yawker,” took me to McSorley’s, the oldest pub on the buzzing Lower East Side, where she lives, to quaff a few beers with her friends. She is focused on making a life for herself in “this city that never sleeps;” she works hard and when she has the free time, she and her friends make the most of “New York, New York;” as Frank Sinatra sang. His refrain: “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere…it’s up to you…”

My older one is the take-charge type, who can fix anything from an insurance policy to an airline ticket; from a major PowerPoint presentation to pointed research. The venue for her achievements is Delhi; she enjoys her free time with her friends from all over the world who happen to live in Delhi. She travels the world with an easy sophistication that I never knew. Fathers should be so lucky, as I have been with both my daughters, who are happy to share their lives with me.

My older daughter’s roots and my younger one’s wings are a perfect foil for my mother’s advice. They both make their way in the world. They are off and running: one protecting the roots, the other projecting the wings. Yet there is a disturbing arrhythmia in my mind. My thoughts go back to the vacations we shared together and I hope we can do it again and again as we did for many years in Goa, in Southeast Asia, in Europe and in the United States. The sadness comes from knowing such togetherness will become less frequent in the years to come.

These sentiments are a luxury that today’s fathers enjoy. When I was growing up, fathers were remote persons. Whether liberal or conservative, they just did not get involved in their children’s lives. The authoritarian ones ran their children’s lives according to their worldview; the more liberal ones simply accepted things. If they couldn’t control their children or satisfy them with material or ideological baubles, they pulled back and became even more distant.

Father’s Day is when children honor and indulge their father. I’m a sucker for the syrupy sentimentality that goes with it. For me, it has always been a pause; a chance to remember the wonderful times growing up with my children; to recognize that the relationship with them is always ambiguous. You love them, let them be and hope for nothing in return. Most times, you experience pure joy; other times, there may be sheer aggravation. That’s unconditional love. Underlying it is a bittersweet taste: as fathers we tried to move heaven and earth to smooth things for our children when they were dependent on us. The haunting question is: will they still need me when I’m 64?

On a brighter note, some day I will have grandchildren on my knee.


A version of this article appeared in Bombay's DNA newspaper in June 2007.


Copyright Rajiv Desai 2009

4 comments:

Bryan said...

As a reader, it gladdens my heart to know your daughters and doing well. One in Delhi, the other in New York. The Frank Sinatra song brought back memories....old blue eyes, that inimitable Italiano, has passed on; but his music lives on in our hearts still. How nice of you to mention it. It seems like you have a nice family. Congratulations on Father's Day and wish you and your family godspeed. May the force be with you

Otis said...

Thanks, Rajiv, for your heart-warming stories. I have also read some of the comments posted by the readors of your blog. Carpe Diem or Seize the Day, said Robbin Williams, the character actor in the award-winning movie, "Dead Poet's Society." You should watch this movie: it is right up your alley. You'll enjoy it, since you are a man of nostalgia and culture.
Father's Day is just a metaphor for the times we live in...in the end, time flies and those whom we love grow up and leave hearth and home, never to return or to return seldom. They have their own lives to live: parent's experience the "empty nest syndrome." So, capture such moments--treasure it.
Time and tide wait for nobody. It is good you are at least trying and not caught up in some other things. Spend more time with your friends and family and write about those experiences. Share with your readers. We are sure to enjoy it.

Rajiv N Desai said...

bryan, sorry it's taken so long to reply. i,m not sure if you are a dad...but i wouldn't trade being a dad for anything in the world.

Rajiv N Desai said...

Otis, thanks for what you said. the empty nest syndrome is somewhat mitigated by the closeness of the parents and the children. we are are happy we have that special sharin