Not all superheroes fly

I saw him for the very first time from the nurse’s arms with my wide eyes. He looked pale and worried and so sister asked him “Aren’t you happy with a daughter ?”

He was my father who was not able to stand straight since the age of three due to his disability which got developed after this young boy fell in hot water of bucket and his spine got malfunctioned. After wards things were not normal for him. Life changed from playful cheers to painful screams resisting medication required to make boy’s life lil better. His entire education went for a toss and his mother decided to home educate this boy till 5th standard. When boy went to school for the very first time children bullied him for being different but the boy was brave and above that he was a dreamer, a visionary.

He fell in love with numbers and mathematics became his favourite subject. He helped others also to get along and he started teaching when he reached 8th standard. By then people who gave their opinions to make boy a tailor or some side help got to know that he is above average, he is a star. He become an officer. He started working with the best bank at India and by the time I met him he was already a deputy manager.

He got a beautiful Bengali woman as his wife and I was born 5 years later after their marriage. I was born normal like any other healthy baby. He celebrated this blessing of becoming father to a daughter by sharing and distributing kaju katli (most expensive sweet in India) in neighbourhood and his branch. His younger brother gifted him a modern nice looking clutches so that he seems to walk straight to his baby girl but initially he was not able to balance that and he fell down. And I as few months old baby just not saw this but also acknowledged. He felt that pain and concern in the eyes of little one. Both of them knew they were connected and this connection is before the lil one came in this world. He knows one day prior that it’s going to be a girl because he heard a shriek feminine sound saying “KANYA AA RAHI HAI (BABY GIRL IS COMING IN YOU LIFE)”.

So this was a glimpse of my superhero who is my dad. I have never seen him walking on his own but I saw superheroes flying. My superhero never walked but he was damn powerful and till the date he is. I love you dad.

My dad my hero.

Heena Srivastva