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To dad with love

This Father's Day, show your father how much he means to you by doing something special

A SHOULDER TO RELY ON Fathers are always there for you

Is it because he's always there for you that you take him for granted? Perhaps it is the embarrassment of walking up to him, gift in hand and bringing yourself to say, "Dad, this is for you. Thank you for being there for me," afraid he'll fake a stern face even when you know he's beaming inside.

Either way, we know we owe it to father. After all, who comes to the rescue when mom is getting hysterical about everything that seems fine to us but not to her?

So why Father's Day you ask? Think about it. Maybe what you do to make him feel special on that one day can be an eye-opener to all the things, big and small, that he has done for you.

"I depend on television or newspapers to tell me when Father's Day is around the corner because I usually don't remember the date," says Aarathi Ajith, a class nine student of Nirmala Bhavan Girls' High School. "I like surprising him! In fact, it is usually a last-minute purchase, as I can never decide on what to buy him. My mumhelps me pick just the right gift," she says, adding, "I make the card myself though." Her father Ajith Kumar, a biotechnologist. affirms what his daughter says, "Aarathi is scared that I might scold her for wasting money. Both mother and daughter, sit and discuss what to get me. Last year she gave me a shirt. The year before, a belt."

And does he like surprises? "Well it is my wife who lays out my clothes before I go for work. Last year, she casually laid out the new shirt along with the other clothes. It is a nice feeling as I am a person who does not even remember my own birthday!" Aarathi says her father is not quite expressive with his emotions on receiving the gift but her father adds, "I'm sure she knows I love her."

Not as popular

Sachu Balanandan, chanced upon the occasion last year by accident. "I walked into a department store and a sign said, `Tomorrow's Fathers' Day,' so I bought him a card and kept it where it'd catch his eye," he grins. His father N. Balanandan, executive engineer with Public Works Department says with a smile, "I guess the day is meant to be celebrated. It's up to the kids. But these occasions are not very popular in Thiruvananthapuram, so not all fathers enjoy the day! They'll have to wait till it catches on here."

Collin Thomas, a student of commerce in Chennai, who is down for a break, admits that Fathers' Day has yet to gain the same popularity as Mothers' Day. His father, Thomas, says it always comes as a surprise when his kids gift him on the day. " We never did that in our days as youngsters. It is a good feeling," he says. Says Collin, " I gave him a statuette once and he burst out laughing as it was not the kind of gift he expected. He then placed it in our showcase, with a broad smile."

SAJINI V. SAHADEVAN

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