He would have been 80.......................

They were an odd couple;

The hard working father and the lazy son

The ambitious father and the laid back son

The process adherent father and the maverick rebel son

The politically conservative father and the left liberal son

The quiet father and the talkative son

The left brained father and the right brained son

The risk abhorring father and the son who went out in search of risks

The orderly father and the chaotic son

The father for whom money was the end in itself and the son for whom money was a means to achieve an end

The father who depended on the past and the son who was ahead of his times in thought and deed

The pragmatic father and the dreamer son

The employment oriented father and the entrepreneurial son


but they had many things in common,

a love for music

a passion for books

a craze for sports

a hobby in crosswords

quick temper ready to boil over

willingness to voice their opinions fearlessly

critical outlook towards life

Each was the alter ego of the other. They laughed and cried together, they travelled tens of thousands of kilometers together, they spent hours sitting across each other talking many things, they took pride in each others achievements and had immense faith in the other, they stood by each other in times of crisis.

Their life was hyphenated.

Then the hyphen was erased six years back. The father passed away, leaving a huge vaccum. The son never really recovered, but he plodded on relentlessly. He took a vow to adopt the good things from his father's character that was so lacking in him and to his surprise found out that he was a much better person for it.

Today, 6th May 2010, that father - my father - would have been 80

How I wish he was with me to celebrate this day!