I still remember the days of morning walks with my father particularly in those long summer breaks that we had, me my brother and Papa. We would be up before the sun and go for a walk. I would almost always be holding his fore finger. I would relish this walk generally because this was a perfect oportunity to bombard him with thousands of whys of the world. I remember the day around 21 years back when in the wee hours the moon was still visible and as I watched and walked holding my father's hand and looking at the moon I noticed the moon was walking with us. With a strange fright in mind I had asked my father, "Papa chanda humare saath chal reha hai.". He in turn had explained the fact that it was an illusion created by the enormous distance it is from us and that probable if we were travelling distances as long as may be the earths diameter we would be able to see its not moving. I have many of those talks and many of those walks and the security I felt in holding his hand while on these walks still very fresh in my mind.
20 years later things had changed Papa was sick and used to forget things withing 2-3 minutes. I
had left him with mummy around the hospital OPD while I was away in a queue getting his medicines. When I returned mummy told me he was looking for me searching me around the OPD. He said,"आज कल भूल जाते हैं आस पास रहा करो।"
I still used to hold his for finger just that it was not for the same।
He left us for a better place probably amongst those stars and from there he watches us and walks with us like the moon does.
