Happy Birthday, Appa ❤️

 Happy Birthday, Appa ❤️

For everyone, their father is a hero. For me too.

One of my earliest memories is from when I was studying in the 3rd standard. We had gone to a temple as a family. While returning, my father asked me to get seats on the bus. I managed to get them, but after a few minutes, a man who was much taller and more strongly built than my father, with a thick moustache, came to take the seat and pushed me roughly and I fell down..

The moment my father saw that, he became angry. Within moments, it turned into a fistfight, and both of them ended up with torn shirt pockets and missing buttons. As a little boy, I was frightened, but that day I also understood how deeply my father loved me. Looking back today, I don't remember the fear as much as I remember the feeling of being protected.

If you look at my childhood photos, you'll notice something special. In almost 70% of them, I'm in my father's arms. That itself tells the story of our relationship.

Another memory that always stays with me happened at the Tirunelveli New Bus Stand. We were returning home from a temple and waiting for the bus. My mother and I wanted to buy samosas and medu vadas from a nearby shop. My father immediately said no. His reason was simple.

"You don't know what oil they use. Outside food isn't healthy."

But my mother and I were hungry. So we secretly bought the snacks anyway. Standing in front of him, we happily teased him by saying, "Do you know how tasty this is?"

He didn't argue. He didn't scold us. He simply looked at us.

Even today, I can clearly remember that look. Without saying a single word, his expression itself communicated everything: "This isn't good for you." It was a calm, silent look filled with conviction. Somehow, that silent expression spoke louder than any lecture ever could.

That was my father.

Discipline wasn't something he preached. It was something he lived every single day.

The nickname "Robot" was actually given by my mother. I still remember that moment very clearly. One day she jokingly said,

"There's a robot in this house. It wakes up at five in the morning, looks after the business perfectly, takes care of every responsibility, does everything on time, doesn't laugh much, and follows the same routine every single day."

At that exact moment, my father walked into the house after finishing all the ice factory accounts. He smiled a little. We all laughed, especially my mother. But after that brief smile, he simply continued with his work exactly as before.

That was him.

He started exercising when he was just 17 years old. Today, at the age of 70, he still maintains the same discipline. He sleeps around 9 PM, wakes up between 4 and 5 AM, exercises regularly, and takes great care of his health.

Many people assume that someone this disciplined must also be very strict. Surprisingly, my father is exactly the opposite.

He is one of the kindest and most lenient people I have ever known. Except when it came to unhealthy outside food, he rarely said "no" to us.

Whenever I wanted permission to visit a friend's house or go somewhere, I never asked my mother first. I always asked my father because I knew he would most likely say yes. Then I would go to my mother and confidently tell her, "Appa already said yes." Most of the time, she would agree. Looking back now, I'm sure they probably had their own conversations afterwards, but that little shortcut worked for me almost every time.

Another quality I always admired was his confidence. I have never seen anyone as confident as my father I watched him handle countless challenges in our ice factory as if they were nothing. No matter how difficult the situation was, he remained calm and composed.

He knows Silambam and Boxing, and he was also a weightlifter who secured 3rd place in Tirunelveli. Interestingly, I learned many of these achievements only through my relatives because he never spoke about them himself.

Our family's ice factory became a landmark in  Thoothukudi. If you bought a juice with ice in the new bus stand both Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli., there was a good chance the ice came from our factory. Even today, if someone asks for the ice factory, many people still know exactly where our house is.

One thing that always amazed me was the number of friends he had.

One of my uncles once told me, "If I came to Thoothukudi without visiting your grandmother's house, someone would inform your father before I even left town. Then your father would lovingly ask me why I didn't come home."

That's the kind of relationships he built throughout his life.

I experienced his goodwill personally too. Whenever we went to watch movies in Thoothukudi, theatre (6 -7 famous theatre in Thoothukudi)staff knew him. Even if there was a huge queue outside, another gate would sometimes be opened for us. Everyone greeted him warmly, asked about his well-being, and always movie tickets and snacks were free. Because of him, I watched several movies multiple times. I still remember watching Arunachalam nearly ten times in the theatre.

What makes me proud isn't his business, his achievements, or how many people know him.

It's the life he chose to live.

A life built on discipline.

A life built on kindness.

A life built on respect.

He taught these values not through speeches, but simply by living them every single day.

Today, while writing this, I tried calling him to wish him. I couldn't reach him because he had gone to a temple  in Kanyakumari. Somehow, that also feels very much like him.

I am truly proud to say that I am your son.

Happy  Birthday, Appa. ❤️🎂

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