 |
| Papa watching his ice cream being beaten to death at a stone creamery, seriously contemplating life choices - His son, doing the very same. One of my favourite candies of the two of them. |
Papa was a Rishi Kapoor fan, so much so that he had started wearing his watch on the right hand when he was young even though he was right handed because Rishi Kapoor made it cool to do that! Rishi Kapoor passed year before last of a prolonged illness, Papa passed last year (cannot believe we can say it was last year), of a sudden heart attack. Watching Sharmaji Namkeen last weekend made me tear up for the both of them.
Sharmaji is the story of a newly retired daddy finding his ground after he has no office to go to every day. It’s amusing how he keeps himself busy but endearing how he packs his sons’ dabbas every day. My Papa was an amazing cook himself - one scene especially where Sharmaji adds garam masalas to a potli and puts it inside the kaali dal, reminded me of how Papa would ask me “Tumko pata hai Chhole black Kaise banate hai ye hotel wale?”. And I knew his answer (Chai Patti in a potli when the chhole are boiling), but I wanted to always hear him say it like a magnificent revelation and I would gasp in surprise and tell him we should totally try it when we make Chhole next - only to most often get shot down by the others.
Papa was an excellent cook - in his last few years, he would take on Chhole and Rajma duty especially which he would make exceptionally well. I would joke and tell him how he should teach his son cooking and he would tell me how he and his brothers learnt from Dadi and they were all a very independent bunch. He made some kick ass Masala Pepsi, cut Kaddu so neatly like you won’t imagine and basically could make everything except Rotis. He had a great sense of taste - He could tell if the salt is off by even a little bit, what went wrong with a sabzi, what trick went into making something as tasty as it was. When I would cook, I would always force him to tell me how it was though he would not volunteer criticism generally. He would tell me “Good” and that would be my medal. Some times he would tease me master chef style and say “Sab Badiya, bas thoooooooooooooda sa Dhania Hota toh perfect hota”. He was quite an all-rounder, My Papa Namkeen.
Papa and I would jokingly have conversations about starting a pop-up restaurant - Sometimes it would be Mummy making parathas, or sometimes it would be about me making Chili Paneer in a food truck. I’d joke and tell him he would be my CFO, billing people and collecting cash, managing all the money. We would make such Khayali Pulaos ever so often and laugh it off. When I watched Sharmaji, it resonated with me how hard it must have been for Papa also to retire from a life largely dictated and possessed by work. I felt awful watching his kids mock him for cooking for people and trying Zumba - I would’ve been Papa’s biggest cheer leader if he did anything how ever offbeat if that made him happy. Though conventional in up bringing, I do feel he would have encouraged us to do what made us happy too.
If you have a daddy around - Firstly, thank god a million times and go give him a hug from me. Secondly, If he’s retired or retiring, be his rock, be his BFF. Don’t try and be a prude police man trying to dictate what he can or cannot do. Family is all we have - Family is supposed to be there for you no matter what, no matter what choices, no matter what circumstances. Go out there and be the best family he needs.
