To my father

I did a Mother's day post in May and realised that I absolutely have to do a Father's day one too!
I have always been a Daddy's girl and even though my father's traits that I displayed earlier in life have now been taken over by my sister, I can safely say that my father has taught me things that I will hold dear for as long as I live.
My father exudes silent strength. He is brilliant, calm and dignified and also an excellent story teller. His tales have become famous within my friends circle and at a gathering he is frequently asked to recount his time in as a youngster in Calcutta or as a captain in the Army. His passion, however, is his work. Needless to say he has made quite a name for himself in Auckland teaching and practicing medicine.
To the family my father is a silent and determined individual with a very strong sixth sense that has served all of us well during the years. To me he is just Baba - who has given into my every whim over the years, who has taught me the true meaning of being sincere at work and the importance of education and learning, who has always treated me like an adult and given me freedom of thought, speech and action much beyond what an Indian father gives his daughter even in this day and age, who would wordlessly go out at 10 pm to look for blank maps for school and who is very good with his hands and has built a number of things in our home.
And finally he is the father who has brought up his two girls with so much care that the thought of us getting married scares him to his very core!
Happy Father's Day Baba!