The Public Diary

“All of our family is invited to a program where I’ll be honoured,” my dad announced on an uneventful evening. “Who is honouring you?” “What is the reason for such an honour?” “Where do we have to go?” our Pandora box of questions opened. When he answered the queries, we realized that it was for an initiative that he had kind of supported during his headship days at school. (I would like to disclose here that we belong to that category of people who like to remain in the background, not desiring much limelight.) Add to it the fact that it was scheduled on a Sunday evening – the supposed lazy day. So, we were reluctant to accompany him to the event. He tried to persuade another of my married sibling who eventually backed out of the plan due to her prior commitments and our would-be absence. Poor dad! He had to be there for the sake of honour that was to be bestowed upon him but he was left all alone. So when hours before the last moment, he asked me if I would lik

That day I decided to take an off from work because the weather forecast had predicted two days of continuous and heavy rains. So I had an excuse. I didn't set an alarm for the morning. Amidst the dawn, I set aside the curtain to take a view of the weather with sleepy eyes and all I could see was a clear sky with no backdrop of clouds. *Shit happens* Moving forward, I had a long pending visit to the doctor that had skipped my mind the preceding weekend. So I utilised the day. I thought I'll take panjiri for him. This gesture was based upon easing the stressfulness of job lives , especially of a doctor. I was trying to be a babe thinking, 'Let's  just make his day,' because once in earlier conversations he had told us that his mouth got watered on listening to the word 'panjiri, "It reminds me of my mother," he had said. Fast forward ---》 The doctor handed over the prescription to me. Before getting up, I gave him the box of panjiri, ou