That's just lovely - thank you, it's a privilege to meet your dad.

My Dear Cloud Cutter,

I couldn’t resist the temptation of coming back.
It was a pleasure to read your Dad’s post . Guess what? He looks my like my Dad (just add 50 kgs to him).

Thanks a lot for introducing him to us…..reading his blogs explains where you inherited your writing skills from :-)

Something strange happened today….I feel blissfully light.

I think the ghost of the past shall finally return to its grave….will mail you soon.

Hugs to Daddy dearest.

Love

Mist

Truly wonderful to pass the pen to the originator of cloud cutting! His little girl has brought the fantastic full circle. This coming from someone half way across this shrinking planet ;) Dearest father of G, she is indeed a remarkable writer - and clearly a special person, in no small part because of you and yours. A Great duet.

Thats a man I'd like to sit down and have a drink with. He looks like he's led an intersting life.

@Z - How sweet of you! Thanks. Just yesterday was asking about you, GG and Pat, after reading the lovely comments you always leave. He is very happy to hear from you and says a big Hello!

@Mist - You are always welcome here :-) Well, Dad used to be a lot heavier before he had a bypass surgery. He read your comment with a big smile on his face and said "Who is Mist?". He says a big thank you.

@Jim - I'm especially happy to see you here! It's a wonderful surprise. Dad says thank you and that it's very kind of you to say such lovely things. You made his eyes mist again :-)

OMG, it's a miracle ... Clem has risen!!

But yeah, I second Clem on that. Your dad seems like an interesting man.

@Clem - Dad says you're welcome any time; he'd love to have a drink with you. I must show him your blog, he will LOVE it.

And now, excuse me while I go recover from the excitement of hearing from you after all this time - where in the world have you been??? I should have put up Dad's pic ages ago :-)

@Swb - Yes, it's an early Christmas miracle - Clem has surfaced! "Who is Saltwater Blues and why is he called that?" Dad was asking me yesterday :-)

This is such a lovely post CC

Feels so great when parents appreciate us, specially in a medium strange to them. Touching. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. And for coming out :)

I could so empathise with this. My mom told me yesterday that she read the post about my grand pa and liked it. During my trip home she said that I too could write like a recent, popula Indian English writer who writes on IIT, Call centres... except, she said, his writing is simple while your's has a grandeaur. Was floating on cloud nine even if it meant hijacking your post...but you'd know what I mean

Now that is one amazing picture. Good to finally see you.

My best regards to your Dad. He has a wonderful smile and sure looks handsome.

Why don't you urge him to start his own blog? Maybe you should set one for him. I am sure he would have lots of stories to tell. Maybe you two can write one together with two different perspectives on the same subject.

Maybe you can tell him that I shall be one loyal reader and follower. :)

Best Regards

great suggestion Himanshu

@Knife - I showed Dad your post on Dadu this morning and he loved it. He is very happy with your comment (I just read it out to him) and said thank you.
I disagree with your Mom tho - K, you're a far better writer than that Bhagat guy could ever be.

@Himanshu - Dad is tickled pink with all your compliments and said, "You have such nice blogger friends."

I would love to get him to blog but he doesn't have a computer and more importantly, I don't live with him. It will be difficult for him to manage on his own.

I will try and take my laptop whenever I visit him and get him to write sometimes, and I can post it here. He does have a lot of stories and he has a wonderful way of narrating them. Nothing would give me more happiness than to share it with all of you.

ha ha sahi jabab... and flattered

I guess it is up to ensure that these storis are not lost

Hello father, my eyes sweated...[as my nephew said one day while watching a sad movie]...

...my eyes sweated a lot when I read your piece here. I can imagine how proud you are of your very talented daughter. I hope she will write brilliant movies one day.

Kindest regards, please give my best wishes to ma also.

Hi Cloud, you're right, this was a surprise. A wonderful one.

You are a lucky girl to have such an appreciative father. It was a pleasure to read his post.
My Dad was also very appreciative and I miss him all the time.

@GG & Pat - Am so happy you could read this post. Dad was asking about the two of you and Z just yesterday; he loves the fact that I am able to connect to such wonderful people across the globe. I am dying to show him your blogs but unfortunately we didn't have much time today. But I will next time for sure.
Mom and him have returned home and I am calling him up every time a new comment comes in :-) He says a big hello to both of you and thank you.
Pat, he really admires you for being so computer savvy at your age. He wishes he could be the same.

Pat was the first person who ever commented on my blog! I'd been blogging for weeks and didn't know if anyone was reading it, and then suddenly there she was. We've never met each other, but we've been blogfriends ever since. I love having so many friends all over the world through blogging.

there is something about dads.

you made me wish it wasn't so late, and i could call mine.

tell yours to write more often. and i think it was a super idea to have him write here.

now i'm all sniffy.

WOW.. After being banished for almost three weeks in computer crash siberia, I come back online to this lovely post. A father is a very special gift, especially one who will allow himself to being "bullied" into writing a guest post on his daughter's BLOG! It is lovely that you shared both him and pic you burst of sunshine of a beautiful woman. BTW, I will let you know I went for lunch yesterday in Dubai's most authentic indian restaurant... no fancy schmancy... just rough and tough but nice and hot and sweet at the same time. Seems like I am preparing myself to have chai with you and your dad one day on the verandah in Bombay.

@AGG - Aww! That is so sweet. Will tell Dad to write more. He hasn't used the computer in years and found it difficult to type on my laptop. Then, like I told you, he got all emotional. I'd planned to make him do a proper post with his perspective on what I had written about my family's history. Will do that next; I will ask him to dictate and type it out myself.
Dad says thank you and a big Hello!

@Sheer - So wonderful to have you drop by. I knew you'd be in basking in marital bliss but I didn't want you to miss this post.
I just called Dad and told him all about you and he is pretty kicked about my Jamaican friend. He thinks blogging is too cool.

So come! Dad and me are both looking forward to having you over for chai... only thing is no more verandahs in a city like Bombay, where property is at a premium :-) Don't worry, for that we can go to Goa and sit in my grandparents' rocking chairs.

@Z - Wow! I always thought you and Pat had met. You're right, it is wonderful having blog pals. Sometimes, they are the ones who really help you when you need it. I realise that more and more these days.

Awww I stopped by too late to see the pic... I'm sure it was as lovely as the writing! Always feels good to get some parental approval right? :) L

@L - I had this nagging feeling that I had left someone out! Start a blog girl, would be easier to keep track then :-)
Yes, parental approval feels great but I think I am spoiled rotten by my folks already. I don't deserve it, seriously!

My dear CC,

I've come late to this post, since I'm getting off the blogosphere for the next three months.

Say hi to your Dad. (Hi, Uncle! Thank you for bringing up this gorgeous gorgeous who calls herself CC).

CC, you're lucky to have your dad, while you're writing about your grandfather. Make the most of it.

And plan to write a book someday. You deserve to be a celebrated author.

As an editor, who's been responsible for creating writers, let me assure you CC: Junk by guys like Bhagat sells because the genuine writers, like you CC, hide away in their blogs.

Peace and love,
- Joe.

Dear Joe,

Thank you. Dad says Hi! back.

I think Bhagat sells because publishing is a business like any other, where supply meets demand. There are millions of people reading and lapping it all up. So, he keeps churning out those Rs-99 books, and they keep flying off the shelves.

I think more than being a good writer one needs to be good in marketing oneself. That's something I have never been able to do.

Anyway, there is at least one book inside this head of mine. And I will get it out soon. Simultaenously, I will get an MBA degree in marketing ;-)

er cc I have an MBA in marketing

@Knife - So, then what are you waiting for my friend? You can write AND you have a degree in marketing! I wasn't being sarcastic, I seriously need to know how to market myself.

@Knife - On second thoughts, since you already have that degree... You can help me with my book as well. Wot say?