That Scene! I will Never Forget! This is a tribute to Manhood!

Most Gracious ILites,

There is something which I want to share with you, something which can't wait till Saturday to go with my regular feature thread.

Today morning I had been to play badminton and stayed in the ground a little later than usual. When I was returning home, the peak-hour school traffic had started. I was waiting for the traffic light near Madurai Corporation buildings, when the scene unfolded before me.

I am absolutely convinced that life is full of small acts of love, small joys and pleasures; and to miss them all waiting for some grand finalle or something big, would be to miss life itself. And what I saw today was a small act of great love.

To the left of my vehicle stood an auto-rickshaw. We were waiting for the light to turn green. There were two children in the auto dressed in their school's uniform. They should be around 7 and 5. They looked quite cute.

There was a man with them, apparently their father. The children were having their breakfast in the vehicle itself. I could see the idlies smashed into pieces placed in a neatly cut plantain leaf and sambar packets, which meant that the man should have bought the breakfast at some hotel. And the most touching part of the scene was the man feeding his children.

Taking a piece of idli, dipping it into sambar and dozing it with some chutney he was trying to get that inside the elder child's mouth. The younger one, who had finished eating a piece was soiing his fathers trousers with his sambar-drenched hand.

The father was oblivious of the surroundings; he was just pleading with his children softly cajoling them to eat at least a little more.

'What's the big deal? Many fathers do it. It looks strange and touching to you, because you as a father would have never done such a thing.' This might be the reaction of some of you. I don't mind.

But ladies, just have a closer look. The man is in charge of his children. Either his wife would have gone out of station or probably might have even died. We don't know.

The man is anxious to get his children to school on time. May be he tried making some breakfast for his children but failed in that venture and in the last minute had gone for hotel food. May be the children missed their school bus because of that and the person is dropping them in an auto.

The father is also anxious that the children should not miss their food. So he was using the few minutes drive in auto-rickshaw to feed his children.

Soon the traffic light turned green and we went about our ways. I waited for the auto to go first. And I mentally saluted the man, the real man and his love for his children.
May he live long! The children are really blessed!
regards,
Varalotti

Dear Sridhar,
you are right. There are still not so many fathers who feed their children, I would say. Mostly only mothers attend the parents meet in my son's class, no father turns up, even if it is on a Sunday.

Dear varalotti,
I read this snippet with great interest butIi disagree that men dont share in bringing up children.One member of my family steps in unobtrusively to feed his child when his wife is occupied. May be the man has no wife or is wife must have been too busy at office that day. In this world of changing times men and women share all chores at home. There is nothing touching about it.
Regards,
Meenu

Dear Meenu,

This thread is not about fathers sharing their duties. And I have given this point in the thread itself. A father feeding a child at home when the wife is otherwise busy is quite a common scene in our places now.
But what made it touching is that the man is feeding the children while they are going to school in an auto. Without shouting at them or disciplining them.
May be, I was not able to convey my feelings to you properly with my words. But seeing it I was touched deeply.
regards,
sridhar

that there is a mother in every father. The right oppotunity to show it up presents rarely and i think you were there to witness one such instance. yes indeed, we would have expectd the father to shout at the kid for soiling the pants etc...., but that he did not brings out his goodness.

Thanks for sharing this with us Sridhar.

Vandhana

Dear Sridhar,
You really made a good observation, and the writer in you wanted to pen it down and of course , very thoughtful of you to share it with us.
This scene and your description of it brings back memories of my father who was such a gentle creature, always cajoling us and feeding us , that too when we had fever,he would go out of his way to feed us...and i know my mother never had that patience, even today! So this father , and his fatherly love and patience , makes me remember my father!
Of course he does the same thing with his little grand children, who only listen to his loving soft voice and become demure and want him to feed them always!
I guess like Vandhana has said, there is a mother in every father!

What you have written, makes loving and tender reading. I always see either parent, making the child repeat nursery rhymes or multiplication tables, on the way to school, much to the children getting annoyed, on being “drilled” till the last minute. I too used to feed my children sandwiches on the way to school, more because it is the “least messy “ breakfast. To feed idli with sambar and chutney, not bothering about his trousers getting spoilt – makes the father stand out, from the general lot.

Now, Sridhar, I am coming to my main point. You have shown that special quality in your writing, by making “ One minute Reading” from a simple incident. It needs a highly sensitive mind to look at the incident, standing next to them and “making a beautiful mountain out of a mundane molehill”. You have built up the words beautifully, chiselling each in the process. You have ended thus

“May he live long! The children are really blessed!"


Let me be frank, my dear friend,
" May you live long – we, I L ites are really blessed to have you with us."

I salute the narrator in you !

Love & regards,
Chithra.

Dear sridhar,
u r a very grt observer, and a writer too good explaining with simple words that is the tact for the great success...regards sunkan

Dear Sridhar,

It was a tender narration of a tender scene. Like others have said, there is a mother in every father and ofcourse men share all family responsibilities with their wives these days, most men anyways.
Chitra has written beautifully about her thoughts to you. I simply cannot better Chitra's words...“making a beautiful mountain out of a mundane molehill”........I totally agree with her words and my thoughts about this episode of your's are the same as her's!
By mentioning all the little things in life which can make it richer, you are making everyone aware as to how happy life can be if only we know how to appreciate them. Nice work and this will take you a looong way...and us with you:)

L, Kamla

My dearest Sujata,
Your words, appreciating me, brought tears in my eyes.
Normally, the saying goes, that a woman cannot appreciate another one. ( Leave alone Sridhar's note on comparison !)
It is a "man bites dog" world, today. You are one of a rare breed, Sujata !
I am so proud that I L is reaching great heights, with ladies reaching lofty ideals, such as this. Let us, the I L ites prove to the whole world, what true friendship and goodwill are !
Love & regards,
Chithra.