Oorellam Un Paatuthan from Oorellam Un Paatuthan

A father is always making his baby into a little woman.  And when she is a woman he turns her back again.  ~Enid Bagnold~
There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.  ~John Gregory Brown, Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery, 1994~
Father's Day. For me, every day is. So many years since my beloved Appa's passing - but he is omnipresent in my life. The one I talk to and think of at all times. My Appa. My hero. My life's protagonist. My everything. My Numero Uno. For always. No other male species would be able to come close. Even Amma (Mum) is number two in my life. Appa rules. Always did. Still does. For a girl - her dad is everything, as a mother is to a boy. Agree ?
Watched Gulebagavali somewhere last week. The South Indian equivalent of Indiana Jones. It reminded me of the times, Appa and I shared. We loved watching and listening to classic Tamil movies. My adoration for these was instilled by him. If I know, watch, listen and sing anything Tamil from pristine times, it is all thanks to him. 
I miss him - this Father's Day. Actually, I miss him everyday. Every second. He doted on me from day one. Amma, on the other hand, was the disciplinarian. The one who was stern with her set of strict family rules and regulations. Yours truly was, indeed, the most mischievous of the lot. Appa was my saviour. My redeemer. I always had it my way, with Appa, and, no such, with Amma. Mum is very important but Appa reigns. 
I do not need an annual Father's Day to wish him. Every day is between him and me. I wake up to a bedside photo of him carrying me in his arms - when I was around 5 or 6. I do not think anyone else could and would ever be able love me the way he did. I know he still does. He is in heaven, I know. But he is watching over me - at all times. That, too I know. His presence is firm and uncompromising. 
India - is another subject that I hold close to my heart - courtesy of Appa. The stories he told me. The narrations he gave me. It is and will continue to be the country, we both love, as our very own. The nation where my soul resides. 
I wanted to post a song by Chandrababu. We both adored him, heaps. But, this song, the one I am listening to right now, is what I have decided to, instead. The lyrics were so poignant. So intense. 
This, is for Appa. My Appa. The greatest. 
உன் பெயர் உச்சரிக்கும் 
உள்ளம் நித்தமும் தத்தளிக்கும் 
இங்கு நீயில்லாது வாழ்வில் ஏது வேனிற்காலம் தான் 
என் மனம் உன் வசமே 
கண்ணில் என்றும் உன் சொப்பனமே 
விழி காணும் காட்சி யாவும் உந்தன் வண்ணக்கோலம் தான் 
ஆலம் விழுதுகள் போலே 
ஆடும் நினைவுகள் கோடி 
ஆடும் நினைவுகள் நாளும் 
வாடும் உனதருள் தேடி 
இந்த பிறப்பிலும் எந்த பிறப்பிலும் 
எந்தன் உயிர் உன்னைச் சேரும் 

இங்கு ஓய்வதேது தேய்வதேது உந்தன் ஞாபகம் 
உன்னிடம் சொல்வதற்கு 
எண்ணம் ஒன்றல்ல நூறிருக்கு அதை நீயும் கேட்க நானும் சொல்ல ஏது வாசகம்

நீயல்லால் தெய்வம் வேறேது 

God bless your soul, Pa. Thanks for everything. Your love keeps me going.

The IR version. Heartrending.

The Swarnalatha version. The whimsical version.