My Dad going hi-tech!

Appa is a unique personality that cannot be defined that easily. He is the kind of dad, who is always out to please his son and daughter no matter how much he has to work for it. I once remember Amitabh Bachan being asked a question in an interview about how his relationship with Abishek is as both of them act together and there is this generation gap of a father and a son between them. Amitabh replied saying that he is a very obedient dad. Wonder how he stole that answer from my dad or is it a school of dads who just do that. Be obedient to their children.

He is always there, no matter what, it would appear he is obedient, but lemme tell you, he would make you dance to his whims and fancies and you wouldn’t even know that you are dancing to his tunes. He would reason it out so well that you would adopt it to be your tune and if he realizes the music is good on the other side, I tell you, you would get a genuine appreciation and he would adopt it himself. That’s something that I enjoyed in him and its one the many things that he has that makes me feel proud to be his daughter.

One such thing was using cell phones and he deciding to get hi-tech to stay in touch on communication with his kids. Oh god, how many times has he pressed the ‘end call’ button to ‘pick’ up a call. And after talking to ‘end’ a call, he would just end up pressing the ‘end call’ button a little too much and switch off the phone. Then would sit waiting for his son to call and wonder why this son of his hasn’t called.

After a wait of about an hour and 2 or 3 vethali pakku with pogayalai done, he would decide to call his son to find out why he hasn’t called and would pick up the land line and call him up.

My Bro: En appa, ivalo neram phone panna. Enna pannina nee, un cell phone work pannalaya?
Appa: Ennamo therila da. Pakkathulaye dhan vechundu irukken. Nee dhan pannalai. Panni irundha adichirukkume.
My Bro: Enakkennamo nee adhai switch off pannitiyonnu doubt. Eduthu paaru, if there is light on the screen?

He takes the mobile and tries to look at it with a keen copyrighted look of his to find out that he has switched his cell off. (If anyone has seen him they would know the way he looks or tries to read something without his glasses and with the vethalai in his mouth—that’s a beautiful sight to see).

Appa: Amaam da, light kaanom. Switch off pannitten pol irukku. Naan onnum pannalaye.
My Bro: Enkitta pesittu, enna pannina?
Appa: un kitta pesittu, phone off panninen. (that is he did a ‘end call’).
My Bro: Hmm… Naan nenekkaren.. nee andha button-a romba azhuthitta. Adhan phone off aayiduthu.
Appa: Ok! That was the reason, it didn’t ring all this while. Look here … enakkellam idhu othu varadhu. Appavala mudiyadhu. Enakku indha land line pdhum. Ennai ellam nee hi-tech aaka pakkadhey.

And if think my brother would accept that for an answer, then you got it wrong. (Of course, you do not know him the way I do, right?)

My Bro: Idha paar, naan innimey unakku phone pannina, cell phone-nukku dhan pannuven, so adhai un pakkathula vechukko. Unakku dhan, pakka theriyardhu illai, if it is switched off, u know to switch it on. So use the cell phone.

So that’s how the phone call ended this day.

Not knowing any of this, I call up my brother after a week long gap. It has been a couple of days since I spoke to my dad too.

Vidya: Deai, enna da pannarey? Busy-a?
My Bro: Illai dee..Sollu!
Vidya: Ennatha solla. Enna pannarey? Appa kitta pesiniya?
My Bro: kekkadhey, I did a mistake of getting him a wrong cell phone. Adhu konjam over-a end call button amukkina phone off aayidradhu. So appa appo appo cell phone off pannidra.
Vidya: Landline-kku panna vendiyadhu dhaney.
My Bro: Naan matten. I want him to learn to use the Cell phone.

(I realize, ivan edho solli irukkan appava. Andha kovathula dhan, enkitta indha mari cryptic-a pesaran. If not, he would be highly enthusiastic to receive a call from me any day.)

Okay, I now decide to make a call to appa.

Vidya: Hey Appa emi pannarey?
Appa: Onnum illai dee, ippo dhan paattiya pothi vittutu, indha book eduthu vechunden padikkalamnu.
Vidya: Naan keduthuttena?
Appa: Illai dee kanna. Sollu. Enna pananrey? Konthai eppadi irukke?
Vidya: Super-a irukken. And so is un mappalai. Nee sollu. Un pillai pesinana?
Appa: Panninan dee, but, naan ennamo panni vechutten andha cell-phone adikkalai. Paavam aasai-ya phone panni irukkan, neraya try panni irukka and had got upset that I did not pick it up. Oru vazhiya edutha podhu, kathittu, vechuttan. Enakku edhukku indha cell phoneum mannagattiyum.
Vidya: Hmm.. free-a vidu. Avan dhan loosunnu theriyumey. Thana land line phone pannuvan. Kandukkadhey.
Appa: avanukku irukku. Naan kathukkaren iru. Avanukku SMS anupparen iru.
Vidya: Yebba! Paravaillaiye.. konjam pola unakkum rosham vandhuduthey. Seri, inga vera onnum vishesham illai. Naan nalikki phone pannaren.

Ippadi irundha my dad, these days is sending us SMS messages, wishing us Good Morning and Good Night and sending us small notes as updates! And is using the cell phone to a very great extent. And is still walking right along side us the way he used to make us walk beside him when he was teaching us when I was 15 and my brother 11 right along side him. Its a bit silly, but we still have to share anything and everything with our dad. I am a little better and can accept that he can grow old. But my brother can never ever accept that his dad can grow old. He has to have dad for everything and this man enjoys it equally.

And at 70 he really has gotten hi-tech to prove he can do it! Keep it up PA!