A Letter To My Parents

By Tania Basak

"How can anyone be so mortally sluggish and a lotus-eater? Just look at the time, it's stricking 12 and you are still slumbering like a rip van winkle, getting slothful day by day.Get up for god's sake.You are not a kid anymore. I won't be with you all the time. I seriously don't know what would you do without me? How many times will i have to tell you to get up early?"When I was your age, i used to go to the market everyday, help your grandma in the kitchen and look at yourself. You can't even cook your own food. Have you ever cleaned your own room? Have you ever boiled an egg? Nothing. God! You are impossible. Your baba has coddled you so much that if I buffet or reprimand you he starts shouting at me and starts to hassle just because i've scolded you.You are apple of his eye!Your baba is just spoiling you and how many times will I have to tell you not to use your phone uncontiguously? Are you even hearing me out? I am talking to you."

"Here is your breakfast. Now please wake up and have it." Maa screeched

"Yes, my morning starts with your maxim's and dialouges and guess what baba is right.Once you start talking, you keep twadlling and may be that's why baba calls you "Chatter-box." I said and started to laugh..

But sometimes I think that I am nothing without you and baba.You guys never judge me, never stoop me. When I told you that, "I've got a job in a call center and I've to do only night shift but the salary wouldn't be tad bit like my other friends." "I don't think I can fulfill all your desires."And telling this I started to cry hugging you tightly.When my close friends, those so-called relatives started to spifflicate by telling me that, "You are working in a call center? "How much do you earn?", "Your other friends are working in good company" and started to laugh at me and I had become shattered, was in dilemma after hearing this, thought, "Am I not a good daughter?", "Don't they feel proud of me?". Then you and baba used to simmer me down by telling that, "You don't have to think about all these things. You just concentrate on your work and working in a call center doesn't make you worthless at all. It doesn't matter what your sallary is. The thing which matters the most is that you are earning, you're self independent, you want to help us financially. Inspite of telling you thousand times that you don't have to contribute anything, start saving for you, we don't want anything. Did you listen to us? No, you did not. When you said,"Baba, I have fetched this white shirt for you and a cotton saree for maa.You don't have to work hard, you don't have to worry about anything . Your daughter is earning. Don't you think it's a big thing for us? And for this reason I am proud of you my champ. Your maa and I feel lucky having you in our life. And one more thing is that nothing is wee or hefty, it's you, it's your mentality how you will see it. If you don't respect your own job then how do you expect others to respect it? Right?"

Baba, you know very well that I have a swab habit of blaming myself for everything. When I keep backwashing myself for my mistakes and those decisions which I made unintentionally. You guys kept telling me not to to do this but I did and now when I impeach myself you guys are the only people who calm me down by telling me, "People can't grow in their life without making a mistake. You are a human being. We can't gang up everything. All we can do is start accepting , nothing else. The more you except the more your you will be happy and your life will be peaceful and telling this you clasp me tightfistedly and kiss my forehead. I still remember that day when baba was having a blinding headache and that's why he couldn't sleep properly and I was on my period, having a grisly period cramps and it had been so horrible that I was screeching, tossing and turning in the bed throughout the night. Baba fetched the hot bag, kept over my stomach, caressed my forehead and said, "Stop crying my champ, your baba is here , the pain will be gone and now try to sleep." And he sat there untill I crashed out.I love the way you keep admonishing me when I am into my phone for hours, when I don't have my bath on time, when I skip my lunch and don't have breakfast on time. I just love the way you keep upbraiding me for watching friends and the big bang theory for hours.You scram out when I keep buying story book one after another and mend my money on those junk foods.You keep telling me to do the household things but I keep watching vidoes on you tube. Sometimes you get freted and starts flapering me. I know that sometimes your goofy daughter behaves rudely,sometimes she gets angry in small things, sometimes she screeches at you without any reason but at the end of the day you and baba are the ones who stiil wait for me untill I come back home.Remember maa when I started cycling, I used to get scared and always had a fear of falling and unfortunately one day I fell on the ground while paddling, my both hands and legs were bleeding, crying my eyes out but the strange thing was you didn't come to me, you stood there, kept staring at me and telling me,"Stop crying like an owlish. Get up champ. Just look at around you. If you can't get up you'll fall behind. You'll fall but you have to get up.No, I am not coming to pick you up. I know you can do it so wipe out your own tears and start again".I still remember that in my childhood you locked me in a dark room, i was clamouring, shriked out in fear and so spooked that I couldn't even say a single word and when I asked you why maa and then you told me, "You know, there will be a time in your life when you are all alone. Your close friends, relatives, not even your ma, baba will be there for you. I repeat no one will stay with you. You will be scared, you will cry, you will shout and it's absolutely okay but the one thing is not okay is giving up. Problems will come, difficulties will come you can't knock out then. It's a part of your life. Life is a journey. Always remember this." And it was all greek to me at that time but now I groped that you gave me a life lesson. You guys have always been my core, my backbone, my pillar, my strength, my motivator, my inspiration, my teacher, my well- wisher, my best friend, my everything. Sometimes I think how could you and baba love me so unsanctifiedly? How? You guys keep bracing up every day, whenever I feel saddened, whenever I start loosing my confidence, whenever I am unable to take any decision you are always there for me, always. You guys taught me the actual meaning of unconditional love.To be very frank I can't envinosh my life without you and baba cause I love you to death.

By Tania Basak