“through the act of living, the discovery of oneself is made concurrently with the discovery of the world around us. . ."

Monday, October 22, 2012

Daughters





Today there appeared this huge hoarding right in front of the YMCA. She has one of the loveliest faces I have ever seen. Even in this soft morning when only a few pass by on these streets, it would be odd for an old man like me to gawk at a pretty girl's picture. The line - 'Daughters are totally worth it' , struck a painful note somewhere inside. Long ago I used to fantasize being the father of a pretty, intelligent, artistic daughter, but fate had it otherwise.

As one grows older, one is aware of the increasing number of attractive women all around. I am interested in beautiful, intelligent and sexually attractive women like any other man, but in recent years, I have noticed that by and large, I look at young girls in the age group of say 17- 23 with a queer mixture of love and affection, not lustily, but quite aware of the sexuality of the young women in full bloom.

And young ladies of the said group abound. They flutter around me like butterflies. They swoop down from the skies at me, pass me swiftly, leaving the fragrance of their beauty and youth. They are like young does, jumping and hopping and kicking up dust. I see them, on their way to schools and colleges or offices, in buses and trains, in the streets and beaches. Their gaiety is infectious. Beauty is all around me and I am enchanted by it.

I am typing this sitting in a train to Trivandrum, my weekly commuting to home. Facing me sit two of the above kind. I watch them openly and I can sense this kindly smile on my face as I observe every little thing they do - munching Lays, talking over the mobile, excited gestures and giggles, the way their eyes dart. I also notice the soft hair on their forearms, glinting in the sunlight. I admire the gentle swell of the breasts, the pale skin and the beautifully shaped neck. Their earlobes are soft and pink, their fingers long and graceful, with a life of their own, a language of their own. The girls share the songs of a single mobile phone, plugging one earphone to each. I eavesdrop but can't make much sense of their conversation.

Until recently, there were four young girls in my office. All of them in their early 20s, fresh graduates/ PGs, excited at their first jobs and thrilled to be independent. Joined the bank in the space of last one year, they offered a hilarious contradiction with us, 4 middle-aged, gray- haired men. To us, they were like our daughters. We loved to teach them the rudiments of banking practice, teased them, shared their concerns, hopes and happiness, reassured them if they were in a flutter. 3 of them stayed at a local working women's hostel, one commuted from Cherthala, about 20 kms from Alleppey. One Monday, back from home I gave them a bottle of P's tomato pickle and how they loved it!

But within the span of last couple of weeks two of them were transferred to their home towns. Waving goodbye, I knew it was unlikely that I would ever meet them again. They were likely to settle down and get married, go for promotion and lead their lives. Who were I, this man who had passed through their lives for a brief one year? I remember those old officers and peons in Chidambaram, way back in 1980. Very likely they are dead and gone and what had been them, to me? Except figures, faint in my private memories? So too, I shall pass.

We don't know much about each other - other than about the immediate family, where we live, etc. In spite of the fact that we spend every day together, from morning to evening, we hardly know anything about our personal problems, other than a very occasional mention of something.

At the railway station today afternoon, N, one of the four, came up to me and asked - 'Sir, is there any truth in astrology?' N confided in me that she wanted to marry someone but her family was against it. She was miserable and then went to an astrologer who said there was some Dosham and according to the stars, the proposed marriage would not succeed. She looked all twisted and about to break down. 'Pappa and Amma are against it, so is my sister I hate her now she used to support me'. So I tell her gently to have confidence in herself, discuss the matter with her fiancé, listen to the objections of her parents and convince them. I tell her, no astrology is not true or anything don't BELIEVE in it, but sometimes it is a salve for wounds, sometime it offers hope when nothing else can, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, but the main thing is to have conviction in oneself - it sounds so hollow even to me. If one knew oneself, one wouldn't need the crutches.

Perhaps it is the 'paternal instinct', perhaps it is the diminishing libido, perhaps it is the onset of 'andropause' - I am feeling so fatherly to all young girls. Or is it because of the realization that I would be interesting to girls of that age only as a father figure?

As the train slows down at Trivandrum, standing near the exit, I glance at the mirror above the wash basin. I am amused. I nearly burst out laughing because what I see is the profile of a man who could be in his mid-60s. But, no Sir, no ridicule. I am happy being what I am. I am proud that I don't pretend to be what I am not. whatyouseeiswhatyouget. I think that is quite an attractive feature.

**************** Balachandran V, Trivandrum 22-10-2012
This is a poem I wrote a few years ago.

  Sunlight Slants

Sometimes, in the corner of my eye,
I see a shadow flitting by.
A little girl in ponytail,
A pinafore hangs in the sun to dry.
Raindrops on petals, roses so pink,
A pair of hands cover my eyes.
A drop of water drips from the still wet hair,
My daughter asks me to tell her name.
The tinkle of your anklets,
The tingle of your laughter,
The scent of love in your touch,
My fingers grope for your little face.
Who are you, my unborn child, my unsung song,
You with the soft curls that tickle my ears?
Why did you chose to remain in my heart,
Tease me not with your hide& seek.
Sunlight slants- evening is here
Doors are open, I wait for thee.
Come, let the brilliance of light
Glow your hair and warm my heart. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

12 comments:

  1. Thank you, sir for this very wise and thoughtfully presented post. It speaks to any person at a certain stage in life. The thoughtful person muses as you have here, finding wisdom and wry patience with life and her ways of aging.

    You reveal a first rate mind, and heart here; making me again so happy to be your blog friend.



    Warm Aloha from Waikiki
    Comfort Spiral

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  2. This one made me think.. I dont think women can ever see them as 'mother-figures' to young men, or can they? I cannot for sure. I never wanted a son, was terrified when i got one, had no clue of how to bring him up as I have never had a boy in my immediate family. Most things in life happen, and we accept, adapt and move on, in the process we learn and rid our fears and inhibitions. You still have hope Balan, you son will wed and you will have a young girl, almost the age of your unborn daughter in your family.

    The poem is beautiful and the girl in the hoarding is very lovely.

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  3. That was a lovely poel Balan Sir! Loved it.

    Hope your dream comes true in the form of a grand daughter.

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  4. @Claudia: Thank you for your kind words, I hope I deserve them. I am not trying to profess wisdom, but through each post, I try to understand myself better. It all started with looking at the hoarding and I was trying to find out what I really felt. I have been honest and truthful in my self-analysis, if nothing else.

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  5. @Sujata: I am not privy to how mothers might feel, but P has often said that she felt motherly to her students who are about K's age.

    About K's daughter - well, I do hope he will have one, so that I can play the role of grandpa to the full! :-)

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  6. @NRIgirl: Yes, I sure would have loved to have a daughter. What a wonderful, fulfilling, proud moment it is for a father to walk up the aisle or circumnavigate the 'Mandapam' holding his daughter's hand! I have seen many of my friends doing that and I still remember the glow on their faces!

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  7. What a lovely post, Sir! Beautiful, immensely beautiful! I've seen the hoarding, it's beautifully done. I think there's a dig at boys in the message; "daughters are totally worth it." Boys, my take: They grow up to become such arrogant brats, don't they? :)I've two sisters and three nieces. The little ones are awesome company, you know, though they often dub me old fashioned :)

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  8. Namaste Sir,

    Can I call you Balu Mama :) ?

    I don't know somewhere just through your words and your love for dogs and fine poetry I draw a parallel with you.

    Have been reading your blog for about the last two months and go through your older posts whenever I find time.

    This was a beautiful post.

    Do read my blog and share your valuable thoughts and suggestions.

    www.vincimax.blogspot.com

    Namaste,
    Mahesh

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  9. Hey Mr B

    Like Sujata said - soon you will have a daughter-in-law. So dont be too sad about not having a daughter!

    But yea...daughters - totally worth it - so says my dad all the time!!!

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  10. @AruN: Glad you liked it,Arun! Honest introspection, brings out hitherto unknown facets of oneself and how exciting are such self-discoveries!

    Naah, all boys don't grow up to brats, my son ain't one! :-)

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  11. @Mahesh: Mama?! Guess that's your Tamilian word, thank God you didn't chose 'Taatha'! :-) Welcome to my blog and am happy that you enjoy my posts. I will definitely read yours!

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  12. @Gymnast: I missed you! You are one among them, my virtual daughters!!! :-)

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