Whom Shall I call Appa?
Sunitha Anand
Day thirteen they said,
shanti homam they said,
your father's soul is on its way they said
You did all you could as a family they said
How do we learn to live with the void he has left I ask
Who do we call when there's that word of advice we need
Did we do everything to make him comfortable as he did for us all his life I wonder
Who will call me Sunitha in his voice
Whom shall I call Appa…
He taught us to take on the world with confidence
So what if we were the so called weaker sex
He was a champion of women and not a person in need was turned away from his doorstep
He showed us the value of friendships
The joy of shared laughter and sweet secrets
It's evident in the way His friends swear by him
It's evident in the affection they showered on him
To do right by people, no matter what the circumstances
And to learn from challenges, indeed rise above them!
To keep faith in the power above
Plan, organise, preempt and succeed were his mantras
You could set the clock by his time
Come rain, hail or sunshine
Every shirt in his wardrobe lined up like soldiers
Meticulous to the T, impeccably turned out in his sharply pressed clothes
His presence was the highlight of every occasion
The quick wit and great sense of humor drew a laugh from even crusty old men
More of a friend to his granddaughters and sons in law
Mentor, advisor, buddy and the world's best father to my sister and I
He lived by a code that made bigger men salute him
Colleagues loved him, he had a kind word for anyone who met him
He lived for my mother, lived up to the promise given to his father in law
He made her independent, and her happiness came first in his book
Other people have envied him for his prowess in the kitchen
As for us we used to wait for the Wednesday when he cooked for us
He would entertain us for hours with stories of adventures from his youth
Each one had a nugget of wisdom in them
His values and morals are what we carry forward
Our every action a reflection of his teachings
It will get easier with time they say
At least he didn't suffer too much they say
He had a good life they say
But as I close my eyes every day
These questions repeat themselves in my mind
Who will call me Sunitha in his voice
Whom shall I call Appa….
