Today you left for Kolkata with your Mom, leaving me alone here. Without you both, this once beloved city of Baroda, looks so unknown and undesirable. How strong human relations can be, is nothing a topic to explain here, but i must tell you I never prepared myself for this moment, like an ostrich I wanted to avoid this condition by ignoring it. Your flight was from Surat. it costed 2K/per person less from Surat than it did from Ahmedabad. Booked a onewaycab from vadodara to Surat and left. Leaving behind you birth place, your papa, your garden, your toys, your friends, and yet unknown of all this, playing and singing whole way.

Like every parents-children bonding, i feel as if something from inside me has just gone missing. As if something is empty in my heart, my mind.

You can guess who came to say good bye to you, it was your bestie Pandey ji, partner-in-crime Aparna Aunty and Mr. Sober uncle, Rudra samal. It was not planned to be like that, but it all became too sentimental when you car moved away from 6/40. Your Massi, Ketan, baba, Dadi, bua and that whole home, nobody was willing to say good bye to you. Such an obedient girl (no pun intended or may be) you are. Let me accept it here: this whole set up, every thing big or small you enjoy in this home is management of your mom. She does what i cant, never, ever. She makes sure, this house looks like home. She ensures things are where they should be and she ensure you get what we missed in our childhood. When she was leaving with you, it looked as if this whole home was orphane now, and i was only a guardian to look after it. the one who cared for it was going away. I am not making it up, i felt all thing and still feel when i sit on my bed and write this blog. At the airport, you , unaware that I will not be travelling with you, kept playing with me for at least half an hour.

While I was at the outside of airport glass wall and you were at the other side. you even asked me to come inside “papa aaaoo na.” Then finally you left for the security check with your mom and got out of my view.

This moment is a big learning for me and for everyone who takes things for granted, who sit complacently waiting for the things to happen for them. In life, dear daughter, always remember its only you who will have to work for yourself, rest everything is an illusion. My stay with you and your mom was not going to last much in Vadodara and this was a known fact and still there was little I did to mitigate it and now here I am wiring my sentimental story. However, mistake will not be in what I have done or not done, it will be in not doing anything now. mistake will be if I let this happen again.

Wish you a very happy stay there my hero. soon I am also coming, just one year. A small duration when we see this whole life and yet long one when we are not togather. Love you, miss you.

with love for you and your mom -papa