A long over-due acknowledgement and thanks giving

 

Vrinda, our daughter, fondly addressed as Anu by us all, celebrated Golden Jubilee of her birthday on 2^nd November 2024. Her husband Nikhil and a coterie of their friends were eager to make it an occasion to cherish. They do tend to think out of the box. Accordingly, they  connived to surprise Anu with a bash on 1^st November, the eve of her birthday. They roped in Nitika-Nishka, Tinu- Anshu & Iraa-Reeva, Nitin-Anjali & daughters, Praveen & Veenu to be part of the fun. Nikhil, being very caring, respectful and meticulous, made it a point to ensure that his parents viz. Shri R C Khattar & Mrs. Sharda Khattar and Vrinda’s parents  that is Mrs. Kanta Chhokra her mother and myself her father. A wonderful humorous skit written and enacted by Nitika and Nishka brought the house down. Best wishes through video messages from Tinu & family, Nitin & family and Praveen & Veenu livened up the occasion. And Nikhil’s emotional speech laced with humour befitting the occasion heightened the mirth of the celebrations.

 When I was given the opportunity to speak, I took it gratefully because I saw it as an occasion to express my gratitude to God, an acknowledgement of his boon and metamorphosis that came into my life with the arrival of Vrinda into our lives. I made a brief speech which was perhaps not in the line of the intended milieu and my reputation of making funny speeches. However, the tone and tenor of the speech that I gave was intentional and was not influenced by any opinion of anyone else. Here is how it goes(went)

 I was born in 1943 in Lyallpur which is now in Pakistan. In 1947, like millions of others, we were uprooted from our native place and finally took refuge in Jalandhar. The life of my family including my own during the years between 1947 and 1964 was a quite a grind but our resilience helped us. We survived various kinds of experiences and hardships. But the year 1964 turned a new leaf for us. My elder brother left on Work Visa for greener pastures in England while I got selected in the prestigious Training School of BARC then known as AEET. I could successfully withstand the rigours of the course of training as a physicist.

When on the successful completion of training, I got appointed in   BARC in 1965 as a Scientific Officer, my paternal family was very happy and felt very proud. I too was very proud, happy and contented with my achievements which were not mean by any standard that a middle class family sets for itself. But my elation was very short-lived and it soon turned into despondency. The primary cause of this bitterness was a very hostile attitude and nearly sadistic trait of my immediate superior and the apathy of the higher authorities. I felt like a bonded labourer. Because of various reasons, I could not quit at that time. The ingrained resilience counselled me to lie low and bide time which I did. The patience paid. I even got a nominal promotion. Then a big change occurred in my life which turned out to be harbinger of pride, confidence and happiness.  In year 1971, I got married to Ms. Kanta Sethi. This brought stability in my thinking and general attitude by instilling a sense of responsibility. The things changed and changed for the better.

 

And then CAME the change, the biggest of them all. It was a boon that we, Ms. Kanta and myself, got from God. We got blessed with our daughter Vrinda whom we fondly address by her pet name Anu. I am happy and proud to declare that 2^nd November 1974 is the happiest day of my life, Kanta ji will also concur and corroborate the same.

 

Up to the time before the arrival of Anu, I had almost resigned to the escapist tendency that my destiny would decide the course of my life, which seemed to lack a sense of purpose and direction.

This finds expression in the following poem titled 

मेरा उम्र भर का सफ़र राएगाँ  गया

 

क़िस्सा-ए-हस्त-ओ-बूद​ मेरा बेबयां गया

मेरा उम्र भर का सफ़र राएगाँ  गया

मन्ज़िल थी सामने रसता भी साफ़ था

फिर भी न उस समत मेरा कारवां गया

तेरी जुस्तजू में जाना भटका हूं दर-ब-दर​

मायूसी हाथ आई मैं चाहे जहां गया

तुम न  थे साथ  फिर भी तन्हा नहीं रहा

तेरा अक्स साथ आया मैं जहां जहां गया

दुश्मन को भी न  मैने कभी बददुआएं दीं

फिर क्या हुआ कि दुश्मन हो आस्मां गया​

मैने न जाने कितने हवाई क़ले बनाये

लेकिन यहां ज़मीं पर मैं ला-मकां गया

 And when Vrinda descended into our lives, my mindset changed and has changed to more optimism and the heightened zeal and zest for life as follows

अब वजह मिल ग​ई है जीने की

जाम यह ज़िन्दगी का पीने की

आखिरी बूंद तक मज़ा लेंगे

आबरु रखेंगे आब गीने की

 Both me and my wife are thankful to God for giving us this wonderful gift of our daughter Vrinda. And we are thankful to God and Vrinda for gifting us our wonderful grand daughters Nitika and Nishka. And we are thankful to God and Vrinda because of whom we got to be blessed with a wonderful Son-in-Law Nikhil. And we are forever obliged and thankful to Mr. R C Khattar and Ms Sharda Khattar who were blessed by God with a wonderful son Nikhil who in turn established an everlasting bond between them and us.

 We must thank all the friends and well wishers of Vrinda and Nikhil for the love and affection they shower on all the Khattar family and on me and my wife.

It is with utmost love and affection that we pray to God for bestowing the best of everything on our dearest daughter Anu for many many more years to come. We wish her many happy returns of the day.

 

Happy Golden Jubilee - Dearest Vrinda