Cheeku,
Holi is your big festival! Colours and sweets and ‘bhang’ bhari thandai! How I remember the time when you mixed just a wee bit of the ‘green stuff’ in the thandai and everyone slept all afternoon! You would always create the atmosphere that was electric and intoxicating…
This year Tubby has orchestrated everything from far away Vizag. With ‘Rang Barse’ group on Whatsapp, he, with Tipsy, has masterminded the big event today. I don’t remember having played Holi for so many years. For some reason or the other I would be travelling and miss out on the excitement. But this year I am here and we have bought new kurta pyjama to be worn exclusively for the colours! A large number of people are collecting and there is dholak! Just the way you would have ordered Cheeku! We will miss Gaurav and Karishma and Sunny and Kanku and Soumya and Somya and Tintin…they are all away. But you will be here with us, as always, but more so today…Phag is yours…and through you ours!
Kanika got married to Aneeq and they make such a super couple…the celebrations were so beautiful, everyone felt so overwhelmed by the warmth and affection of the young couple…everytime I looked up at the aky, I always detected a bright bright star laughing and singing, showering such joy on all of us below. You were there Cheeku…every moment of celebration was so full of your spirit and love…
And I recall these lines from EE Cummings
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
Love
Dad