Tomorrow is Father’s Day, a day when most people appreciate their dads with greeting cards, flowers, gifts, a lunch/golf date, or even a bottle of wine, among other things.
But to turn things around a little, MetroPlus gets city folk to pick their favourite father song, a number they would most associate with their fathers.
“Colour Him Father by The Watsons will always be my favourite dad song,” says Vikram Prabhakaran, an engineer, adding: “My father walked out on us when I was eight, my brother was five, and my sister was three-years-old. It was the worst time of our lives. My mother started doing odd jobs to pay the bills and she somehow put us through school that year. It was around then that she happened to meet the man I now call ‘Dad’. He was her boss and I think he fell for her sincerity and her love for her children. He never tried to usurp my real father’s place nor did he buy us gifts to win my mom over. He just gave us love, lots of it, and we were the ones who wanted him to be our dad. They’ve been married now for 30 years and he will always be the man I want to become ‘when I grow up’.”
For Prashanth Wesley, a teacher and musician, “Bridge over Troubled Waters by Simon and Garfunkel, perfectly describes my father. When ‘friends just can’t be found’, when I’ve been ‘down and out’, he has been there ‘sailing right behind/ Like a bridge over troubled water’, he has been there to ease my mind, and I cannot thank him enough for it.”
Daddy-daughter relationships are always special and Sharon Clarance, a music teacher, says: “The Best Day by Taylor Swift is my favourite dad song. Whenever I listen to it, I think of my father because he has always been there with and for me. I've had the best childhood because of him. My fondest memories are of the summers when my dad would take my brothers and me out almost every weekend to swim in the stream or for early morning bike rides exploring new places. He made time for me even though he worked long hours all through the week. I've truly had the best days of my life with father. When I was 23 and left home to come and work in Bengaluru, he cried! That was the first time I saw my dad cry. And even though we live so far apart, he’s always the one who pulls me out of the mess I sometimes create.”
Mita Alfred, a doctor, describes her father as her “best friend and anchor. He is so full of love and compassion and always sees the good in others. My Father’s Eyes by Amy Grant is my favourite because his are ‘Eyes that find the good in things When good is not around/ Eyes that find the source of help When help just can't be found/Eyes full of compassion, seeing every pain/Knowing what you're going through, and feeling it the same’.”
“As a young father, I always loved the song Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle. My little girl would shower me with hugs and kisses and I never wanted her to grow up. 26 years have passed since and she is ready to walk down the aisle now. Believe it or not, this is still my favourite song and will always cherish those butterfly kisses,” says Ayush George, a marketing manager.
For those of us blessed to have them around, don’t just upload a selfie of you and your dad as your display picture on Whatsapp or wish him on Facebook.
Make sure you let him know how much he means to you, today and every day.
