Letters from a father to his daughter

Dear dear Vidya

Fantastic........I can write only that much.......You have a knack for expressing.......and Hmmm.......for people like me we would feel happy that somebody else is expressing our feeling..........

Dear Vidya,

Your post read like a beautiful, structured story with a beginning, a middle and an end. You brought your father back to life for all of us.

I was chatting with a friend of mine this evening. And he, being fond of his daughter, quoted a touching Punjabi saying, "Beti mein pran basa hai." meaning "Our souls/lives are held by our daughters."

He even talked about a strange Punjabi custom. If a parent is ailing and will be better gone than living, like terminal cases, they will send the daughter away.
Being the father of only daughter I could relate to what you have written. Ever since my daugther has left for higher studies I should say the quality of our conversation has improved. When I go to Chennai for my work, I take her out for dinner or lunch. Now we talk more like friends than as a parent and a child.

After having one such conversation a few days back I can fully understand the import of your words.

Over the years, we grew closer as parent and person.

So simple and yet so profound.

Another line which moved me was:

And then I got married and the letters took a different shape. Addressed to both his children, me and my husband.

I can understand the relationship between your father and your husband. When you write naturally addressed to both his children... that speaks of the love shared by the two men in your life.

These days, they haunt me and often fill me with my own regrets on not being a perfect daughter, though he never ever said so.

Finally these words touched a chord in me. You need not have to be harsh on yourself. I am a father and I can tell you something. To the father, his daughter is always perfect. She is always his princess and queen.

It is after a long time that I am reading a wholesome piece of writing. Thanks for that.

regards,

Dear Vidya,

missed out on this very touching post, am lucky that i got to read it atleast today.

for the writeup and i can understand your feelings.
being the only daughter,i am more attached to my father and HE gives me courage and inspiration and when i feel tensed, depressed, i will give him a call and have a talk then i will be back to normal.

As Kamalji mentioned... do take the printouts

By the way, i too got 'Letters From a Father to his Daughter' by Nehru as a gift from my dear Dad.,

to your dear Dad!!!

Dear Vidya,

That was a beautiful post one that kindled extreme emotions from me.
I was very close to my father and was very unfortunate to lost him very early in life.
There was still so much to learn from him but the cruel hands of death snatched him away much too soon.
Your post made me very emotional.Infact I wanted to write before and attempted too but I just couldnt .Believe me it is 23 years since he's gone but still seems like yesterday when we would discuss matters, write letters , enjoyed a relation so beautiful yet so short.
He had very high hopes for me , like all Dads wanted me to succeed in whatever i did.
I learnt so much from him not knowing that I was learning!
Daddy's are always so special to daughters and vice versa.
I relived a lot of my childhood with my father as I went through your post.

Regards,
Devika

Hi,

very touching and felt like talking to my dad at once..i too have preserved a few of his handwritten mails but now staying quite far save all his emails
shobha

Dear Vidya,

Wonderful post! Your post brought out a lot of emotions in me. Skillfully written and so profound. It made me long for my father yet again. He passed away when I was 5 years old. Reading your post made me realize how our relationship would have been had he been alive.

Meena,

First and foremost, I apologise to you and all other who were kind enough to share their thoughts and my grief, and yet I could not reply to their goodness. Believe me, when I say from my heart that it was not my intention to ignore you or any of them intentionally. I wrote this post at a time when I was going thru immense personal crisis and had limited access to the net. I started replying to two, three members at a time. Then life got bit hectic with me relocating and I could not address this thread, though it has not been far from my mind.

I must say that those whom I replied to are good friends, but in no way my favourites or chamchas. Same can be said of those to whom I have not replied. All are friends, kind souls who tool the trouble of writing to me when I needed it.

I am sorry to read about the demise of your father. I too have gone thru the agony of not knowing about my fther's illness in right time, since I could not be contacted. And I too have moments of silent grief even now when I read old inland letters or first emails. No one can ever reproduce such concern.

Thanks again for your supportive words and apologies if I have hurt you now or before.

regards
Vidya

Originally Posted by meenakrishnan

Dear Vidya,
This emotion packed piece of your heart will make everyone feel for their parents.Your touching writeup brought back my memories.So nice of you to remember with gratitude each and every tiny moment he shared with you.I often feel that I have not done much to my parents though they never told me that.As the youngest in the house, I feel as if I have not lived enough with them.My parents are no more.My father's Death Anniversary is on March 7th after Shivarathri.I often sit with the old letters he wrote to me.As you have written, Parents' letters are full of care and concern.Nothing else or nobody else can replace that.10 years back, we didn't have e mail facility, his inlands and letters remind me of his love and care.We didn't even have phone facility then, so they couldn't inform his death from TVM to me immediately.The pain and agony I suffered after that cannot be expressed in words.Some bitter incidents need to be forgotten- I'll quote ur words
"the world goes round on the milk of human kindness and warmth, that hearts and souls are more important and immortal than material gains and publicity.
Life goes on.......and we follow many of their principles.That way they are not gone, they live with us...
Love
Meena

Dear friends,

To all those who wrote a supportive message in this thread and to whom I have not replied, I am very sorry. This delay was not intentional. I have been in and out of one crisis after other with very limited access to the net.

So, please accept this post as a humble offering of gratitude to all those who have written here. Not replying to FB is bad and I am guilty of it. But it was not intentional. I will reply to each and every one here, once my situation stabilises.

Apologies and thanks
Vidya

Dear Vidya,
I can very well understand your situation.I am sorry, if I hurt you.Even I have not attended my thread 'Let us learn a song today' for days and weeks....I don't get time to browse and reply the fbs due to some personal problems...I think expecting replies to wishes and condolences is ridiculous...Those words of sharing the same feelings come spontaneously...
Love
Meena

dear Vidya,
You are right ,hearts and souls are more important than material gains, and wise are the men who believe and teach their children the same to affirm their faith in this truth.You are fortunate to have your fathers letters preserved.
Sometimes, one feels like closing the door on the world outside and go through old letters,albums.
I often look at a picture taken at my wedding just before leaving for my dh house when papa shook hands with my husband,it helps me
Regards,humera