While travelling to London on last weekend, I came across this
man who was totally engrossed in reading a newspaper.
An actual newspaper, not
the e-version.
I must tell you Dad, I missed you so much in that moment.
This
man was surely enjoying his daily dose of news but not as much as you used to.
Do you remember how religiously you had taught
me '5 tricks to fold a newspaper neatly'? I have learnt those tricks for my
lifetime.
Do you remember waking up on Sunday morning
and tiptoeing onto the veranda
to grab the big fat 'Times of India'?
After tossing it onto the kitchen table
you would flip through each of its pages carefully, scanning superficially once
and then reading in detail again.
As years passed by, you had to use your
reading glasses
and I adored that look of yours!
The look where you glanced at
the newspaper through the glasses
but looked at us from over them.
Reading a newspaper was like a momentary reprieve from the world around into
world beyond.
I read newspapers mostly on my laptop or Kindle now. But
scrolling down the screen just ain't the same. Flipping past various
supplements of the actual newspaper was much more satisfying and pleasantly mysterious
than rapidly clicking on 'Most Popular Headlines'.
I am
definitely switching back to 'your' way of reading the newspaper.
I can
still feel you reading the newspaper sitting cross legged on the floor besides
me.
How I wish I could live that moment just once more!
Baba, it is not the same without you around.
