My Father is the BEST

“My father has bought a gaming station for me where I can play any time I want. I do not need you. There are other players inside the gaming station and they will play with me like real players. The best thing is, they will not fight with me like you people do. Today is the last day I am playing with you.”, Chintu said. Mayur and Yug are very upset after hearing this and they were thinking how to convince Chintu. They thought appreciating Chintu may help. “Your father is great Chintu. He loves you so much. He bought this nice thing for you.” Mayur said. “Yes, I know. Every weekend he takes me to one or other mall, buys me any game I want and we come home after having Pizza, Burger or something in some good restaurant. My papa is the best. I can request him to allow you to come home and play with the gaming station. I am sure he will agree. He has lots of money. Why don’t you ask your father to buy one for you.” Chintu said. Chintu is a 9 year old boy and his father works for a multinational company.

Mayur thought appreciating Chintu’s father is fine but his father is no less. He wanted to prove that his father is better than others and at the same time persuade Chintu to continue playing. He said, “Although my father has lots and lots of money, he does not let me buy any indoor games because he feels we must play in open air and do lots of physical exercise. He is against any outside food. We do picnic once a month when my mother takes rest and my father and me cook food and go to some place where we can enjoy the beauty of nature and eat. That’s our outing.Entertainment does not need money, it just need mood. He feels we will get bored with gaming station one day and would like to have new one but we will never get bored of my gaming station which is nature and real people. I trust my father because he is the best. So I would request you to come to play.” Mayur’s father is a professor in the university.

Yug was silent and was not saying anything. Mayur asked, “What about your father Yug? When is he coming back?”. Chintu asked, “ Does he buy anything for you when he comes back?”

Yug maintained silence for a while and said, “My father is best among all. He does not buy anything expensive for me but when he comes back,  he tells me real stories where my father is the hero. His stories are real and his wounds too. He believes we have a big loan to fulfill. This loan increases every day. Even if you pay for your entire life you can not pay it completely. You can not pay the loan by money. It can only be paid my service. He is now in Chhattisgarh. Fighting with our own people but there are no other options. While my father is fighting I can not enjoy playing indoor games. I have to play in outdoors and do lots of physical exercise to make myself ready to pay back the loan. So if you wish to play with me, you have to come outside. I do not play for entertainment only.”

Harish came running and asked Yug to go home immediately. Yug went running shouting, “My father came back. My Father came back”. Once Yug left, Harish informed others that Yug’s father is no more. There was a landmine blast which killed his father and two others. They all ran to Yug’s home.

After two days one army van came to their society and they took out the body of Yug’s father, wrapped in tricolor and four other security persons came and gave his belongings to Yug’s mother. The funeral process started after few hours and entire town and many from nearby towns came to bid farewell to Yug’s father. All were giving slogans appreciating Yug’s father. 

After few days Yug returned to play ground and he found Chintu there. He asked, “What happened? How come you are here?”. Chintu replied, “I decided to use gaming station when you guys are not there. I also want to tell you that. My father is the best but he thinks your father is the best.” Mayur called both from the middle of the ground while tossing the football using his head, “Come, lets prepare ourselves to pay back the loan.”  

Namaste!!!

– Stray Dog