Words from your Daughter

Papa, you are going to depart from your office life very soon, the life which you have been living since you were only 25. It's nature’s law that everything that starts comes to its end and now has come the time of your retirement from this duty, that you have been doing since the last 35 years!

I am a little fidgety writing this to you as -

I still see you waking us up, getting us ready for school, making cheese toast for Sahil and me, dropping us to the bus stand and sometimes to school when we used to miss the bus and then rushing yourself for office. 

I still see you managing our PTMs along with your office.

I still see you dropping us to remotely located exam centers and then attending the office.

I still see you coming back from office with acute back and leg pain and still managing everything so perfectly.

I still see you devoting your weekends to our homeworks. 

I still see you saying "NO" to mumma for taking an off because of work commitments :D

I still see you bringing Samosas, bread pakora, ram ladoo etc. for us while returning from office.

I still see you sitting in a comfortable position with a deep gaze on those multiple blue map sheets and giving extra hours to work. (and the list is endless......)

And, you have always balanced your workplace and home in a very diligent manner. And, this would not have been possible without the support of Mom. Kudos to her!

This job has given you so much: your pride, your confidence and the sense of responsibility. With this job, you were able to make Bhapaaji and Bibi proud and give wings to all your family members. I know you have always been an honest, dedicated and a very hard working employee which has gained you immense respect not only at work but in family. You worked so hard to support and raise your family. Your work gave you the impudence to invest on many good things in life. And all thanks to your job, you were able to promote your daughter and son to dream about bright futures and careers.  

Papa, I am not sure if you are prepared for this day or not. You might be having some inner conflicts as well. And I am still unsure how you would be feeling that day. But, I can understand! We often make our work our identity and the purpose of life, especially when we have nothing else to look about. And when retirement comes we think that the sand has slipped from our hands and we can’t do anything now.

But Papa, the clock is always different for different people. Some people think the day has gone, while some others think they still have the night. Someone graduated at the age of 22 but waited 5 years for his dream job. Someone became a CEO at the age of 25 and departed at 50. While, another became a CEO at the age of 50 and lived and worked till 90. Someone is still single while others got married and have a family. Absolutely everyone in this world has their own clock. And it’s always in our hands to keep this clock going.

Retiring from this work is the beginning of your next job. I know you still have responsibilities but the best part is, now you have children to share them. Now, you have to complete those duties that you were never able to do while doing your job. Spend quality time with Mumma. She likes traveling but due to other more important things in life, you both never went on any long trip. So, go explore the world with her (*assuming Corona is temporary 😜) Give water to your hobbies and passions. I know you enjoy Yoga, cooking, watching movies and listening to old classic songs. Flourish your hobbies.

Okay, enough of preaching you. All I want to say is, don’t see your retirement as an edge of your life. Take this opportunity to prove yourself. Prove this world that retirement is a change of pace, not the end of the road. Keep on your journey with new people, new work, and new aspirations. See it as an opportunity for new goals and accomplishments. Just because you will be retired from one career does not mean you can’t start another. So, it's time to take that off ramp to your new life and new interest you may never have known you had.

Breathe in and Breathe out…Relax.

Stay happy, stay young Papa. We are with you always!

35 years of dedication, hard work, never ending commitments and everlasting responsibilities. You should be real tired and stressed out by now and you deserve some rest. Congrats on your retirement Papa. YOU ARE THE BEST.

PS: We all are missing to be with you on this special occasion but never mind we have various other options to celebrate😎 We are looking forward to a very grand party in near future.