On Papa’s First Death Anniversary

<This is more of a personal post, nothing to do with product management. You may skip it if you feel so>

Today marks one year since I lost my father to a prolonged disease he fought for 2 years. I miss him very badly, some days are particularly hard. I have noticed the following changes in myself and my surroundings

1. Lot of people move on but some never do
2. I am more aware of what it means to be a good father. Unfortunately, now since he is no more – I can retrospect dispassionately all the ways he raised me and our siblings. Less on resources for sure but never short on emphasising rectitude and solid foundations of life
3. Being vocal is better in any relationship. Sometimes we assume that people we care about the most, get us intuitively. Not always the case
4. There is this very peculiar Hindu trait of unspoken / unacknowledged self-sacrifice, fatalism and renunciation. I have learnt that quite often it does more harm than good to all parties involved
5. Raising kids is hard. I started taking it more seriously this year, than I did anytime before. One has to be involved how kids are learning, connect with them at a deeper level and be more patient in their evolution. Often, they will surprise you with their ingenuity, curiosity and malleability
6. Parents are not infallible, none of us is. When they seemingly make a mistake, it’s better to listen to them and eliminate any misunderstanding before it snowballs. Sometimes we don’t even know what plane our parents are operating at
7. I read somewhere that grief is like a love which was not reciprocated. It is integral part of loving and respecting someone when they are not around to share their lives

I miss you, Papa

I deeply miss your dry and intelligent humour, deep voice, animal care, love towards nature, unease around little kids, simple and rugged eating habits, your very healthy teeth and general fitness, disdain towards television and cinema, candidness, willingness to fight for what is right, respect towards your father and ancestors, your care as a husband and unexpressed love and care for me

There is a lot to learn and get inspired from. Enough for this lifetime and beyond!