Wednesday, October 5, 2011

A very special bottle of beer

I do not know how many among you had the opportunity to booze with your dad? Last night, for the first time in my life I had a beer with my dad. Now, I have seen my Dad drinking his usual peg many a time, I have talked to him about alcohol, grass and all possible intoxicants. My dad knows that I drink, he offered me a beer last Christmas when he poured himself a Black Label, but since I had an examination the next day I couldn’t accept it then. But yesterday it happened…I had a beer with my dad.

I was in Chennai doing a small South Indian city hopping trip and had come to Chennai to meet my dad who was down on official purpose. It was all good, met him, had some lunch, talked about Telangana and things back home and the usual son-father talk. By around 7 pm my uncle and his colleague, an Englishman joined us and my uncle pulled out some beer and some Indian brandy. My dad all of a sudden offered me a beer. For a minute I didn’t know what to do! A chilled beer on a hot Chennai evening is quite a tempting offer I must say. I stood like that for a minute, accepted the beer.
While sipping my beer there and enjoying the company of my family members and a stranger, I realised something, I had grown up and beyond that I understood my dad acknowledged I had grown up…

My dad is somebody who never even let me ride a bike or even let me pillion ride it till recently, but now when I approached him saying in a big city I need a bike, he gave me the go ahead after the initial no’s.

I have never owned or used a mobile till I reached HCU for my MA, it had been a strict no for me, but when I stepped into that campus, my dad gave him his own saying use it carefully.

He never gave me money in excess for me to squander, but when he went back to Trivandrum after dropping me in the University, he pulled out a sum, gave me, said the rest he’ll go home and deposit into my account and got into the car. When I counted how much it was after he left, it was 10k.

I have fought with my dad the maximum in my life for a multitude of things. For not letting me use a mobile, for not letting me go for a late night movie, for not letting me stay back for cheering the college basketball team, for not letting me ride or ride behind a bike and for a zillion other things…but now when I think, I am what I am because of what he didn’t let me do and for letting me what would help me in my life.

That gesture of offering a beer to me was very symbolic to me, it was as if he had accepted that I am on my own now, that I am capable of taking care of myself now. I go from Chennai a happy man, and when I say a ‘man’ this time, it holds a renewed feeling…that my dad, the man I admire the most in my life has acknowledged that I am a grown up guy now.

I had a beer, probably one of the best I have had till now...

16 comments:

  1. wow! you dad is cool :D

    i have had friends who were scared to even let the family know that they drink :) and they used to drink with their uncles, and say, see my uncle is so cool! am sure drinking with dad is a different game altogether :)


    Cheers [_]@
    Chintu Singh

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  2. Aint that a really cute yet nostalgic post!! Beautiful. This memory will be etched in your head forever!
    We are kids forever for my parents, but a time comes when they start realising our growth and independance. It comes as a shock for them but they accept it. Your Dad just did.
    Beautiful post!

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  3. @ Chintan Gupta: Yes, I guess its a different game altogether!

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  4. Hey Arun, mentioned you here!

    http://chintangupta.blogspot.com/2011/10/thursday-blog-surfing-05.html

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  5. Isn't that a proud moment? When a parent acknowledges you to be their equal? I had a similar one and it blows your mind with the realisation of it all...

    And your dad IS cool, to not be hypocritical.

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  6. @ Peevee: I don't think I am his equal anyway! but it was sure a very very proud moment I must say!
    And yea, my dad is pretty cool. That man went trekking to Sikkim at the age of 50 :-)

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  7. @ The BluntBlogger aka Chintan Gupta: Thanks dude!

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  8. Guess what?? My brother don't drink... but my parents don't mind me having beer with my dad :P

    Just half bottle or something... not much... But yes they are fine with it :D

    Cheers for our coolest parents!!

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  9. Openness within a family makes life dead easy..

    Your father is grt, as parents have to initiate such openness from their side, children learn the same..

    Good blog Arun..

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  10. @ Pramoda: Oh yea! Trust me. I have been very open with my parents after a certain age when I understood secrecy will only complicate things. My mom knows I drink quote often, she knows what I am and what my outlook to life is, she knows the women in my life! My dad knows what I am...I keep no pretensions in front of my parents and my friends, cause if at the end of the day, they feel I am not what they thought I was, thats it! I ma screwed big time!

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  11. Hey, came across your blog via Chintan. I don't drink neither my Dad, but what you have written is very true. Sharing a moment with your dad is very different from sharing with others. Many dads don't let their children do what they want to do untill they attain a certain age. But thereafter, it's a whold new world....:). Hope you have many more similar moments. Great blog.

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  12. @ Prashanth: Thanks mate! Hope my life has just started :-) Thanks for dropping by!

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  13. Wow. This is heart warming. Parents are amazing that way. It's lovely to be trusted by them..

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  14. @ Zeba: Thanks for dropping by. At the end of the day the only true emotion is trust! and if you are not trusted by your parents and your friends, then what are you!

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