Beautiful Minds

Kiran Prakash with the daughter he never had

Kiran Prakash came to the Garden today sporting a bright crimson t-shirt. This was in marked variance from the sober blues and greys we are used to seeing him in. But the crimson suited him well. Teamed with ecru trousers, it made him look still younger for his years.
And thereby hangs a tale.
Yesterday Geeta Latte, the youngest member of the Club, presented Prakash the t-shirt when the exercises were over. She tried being discreet, but the latter was so taken by surprise that he refused point blank to accept the gift. Seeing him protest vociferously, Geeta broke down. All she managed to say was “I see a lot of my father in him!”
Sadly, Geeta has lost her father. And Kiran Prakash does not have a daughter. Such are the ways of nature that over time they had come to share a special space during the daily one-hour routine in the Club. He realised he was becoming extra affectionate, even protective towards her and happily, made no secret of his feelings.
Likewise, Geeta looked up to Prakash as her ‘foster father’ and was never ashamed to accept that extra samosa or kachori he would save for her from his share of a morning treat. She knew he had a sensitive stomach and was unable to consume anything fried or spicy.
The t-shirt took the father-daughter bonding to another level. As Prakash was to confess later, he did not expect Geeta to “go to this extent” of getting him the gift. So overwhelmed was he that he (foolishly) commanded her to accompany him right away and buy whatever she liked from anywhere. Prakash had to be told not to be in such haste and that a give-and-take would only amount to hurting Geeta’s sentiments.
Prakash gathered himself before long and WhatsApped his friends: “It is an honour that somebody tells me she sees her daddy in me and cries when I decline to accept her gift. It’s a feeling that’s difficult to express. I don’t know what else is in store for me in this Club.”
Kiran Prakash:
Geeta is a gem of a girl. She is principled, honest, respectful and caring. I am fortunate to have her as a daughter. I wish and pray for her happy and prosperous life. And I am always there for her. God bless!
Lt Col Angad Singh (from Mohali):
The small and affectionate gesture by Geeta Latte in honoring Kiran Prakash as her daddy only proves that Big laaf is like a family. The one hour spent together augurs well and reminds us of our culture when, in a village, all children used to be treated as children of the village. They enjoyed the love, affection and wrath of village elders without discrimination.
Bhaswati Bose:
The picture speaks volumes - the fond look in the eyes of 'papa' Kiran-ji and the expression of soaking in the affection on 'beti' Tai Chi's face cannot be expressed in words. In these times of extreme tempers, such a beautiful bonding between two members is hard to come by. The Club rejoices in their happiness.
Kiran Prakash responds:
Thank you very much, Bhaswati-ji. We all at Big Laaf share such feelings of love and affection towards one another. What we need now is to organise some games of 5-10 minutes duration on weekly intervals which will strengthen the bonding and create team spirit among members. Think over it. We may have this on Saturdays.