Parents Day

May - 2nd Sunday - Mothers Day

June - 3rd Sunday - Fathers Day

July - 4th Sunday - ???

May is for Mother's, June for Father's and July for both of our wonderful PARENTS... yes, for Papa and Mama... because Papa Loves Mama.

Like every year, this year as well the Sunday School at our parish celebrated Parents Day. While the Sunday School along with the Family Cell in the parish organised a session on Parenting In the Digital Age, the children were busy with art. Most of the classes spent their hour creating beautiful cards to gift their parents. But I was pleasantly surprised when I received this as a WhatsApp message from my elder son's Sunday School class.

As a child, I usually associated Parent's Day with December - that's when we used to celebrate it in school. Parents and Prize Day was actually our Annual Day when we, students, put up some talented performances for our parents to enjoy (and be happy about)... from One-Act Plays, to Dances (Traditional Dances - snake dance, tribal dances - as well as from Around the World) to an array of songs (a performance I always was a part of). While I remember singing for a Christmas Play while in Grade 2, I also recall the many plays on mythology performed on the same stage (discussed in the print column Devlok authored by my batchmate Devdutt Pattanaik. As we put up these pereformances, we had one question for them... Do I Make You Proud?

The observance of Parents Day in July is actually to celebrate the feast of the St. Joachim and St. Anne (that actually falls today - July 26th) - the parents of the Mother of Jesus - whom we affectionately honour as Mother Mary. 

The day is also celebrated as 'Grandparents Day'. I'm sure that they had some influence in His upbringing - just like our own have (or have had) in our own wellbeing... Thanks to you... for You Raised Me Up.

Parents Day and Musical Parents

While it is still yesterday in some parts of the world, I thought I'd quickly squeeze in this post relating to parents. 

Besides being Parents Day yesterday, it was the 88th birthday of a #MusicalParent 

Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson, possibly best known as the father of Michael Jackson, introduced his children to music and managed their talent promoting them as The Jackson Five comprising of Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. They made history in 1970 as the first recording act to have their first four singles to reach No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Just listen to the songs and you will know why...

ABC

I Want You Back

The Love You Save

I'll Be There

Since my earliest posts I've been commenting about the inspiration that my own dad has been in nurturing my musical talent and that of the rest of the family. Everyday I come across parents encouraging their children towards music - to sing or take up instruments. And it only reminds me that I would not even be on stage without the influence of Dad and encouragement of Mum. In my own turn, I'm lucky to be blessed with two talented sons who always step up to the opportunity to learn something new and explore new avenues of music. 

  

Parents and Grandparents - A Special Day

Feast of 

St. Joachim and St. Anne - the parents of Mother Mary. 

26th July was a date marked on our calendar through the 90s. Our parish - OLPS Chembur - would celebrate the Feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne as Parents Day... and that included a variety entertainment program dedicated to all the parents of the parish. The Pinto family was a regular fixture on the entertainment plan... and over the years, we (my siblings and I) performed a eclectic mix of songs... sing-a-long favorites, Simon and Garfunkel duets, soft rock hits like More Than Words, and even Jazz Compositions - the best among them being 'A Medley on Trains' - a composition by a good friend Karen D'Lima Vaswani - who conducts the Victory Chorus Line choir and plays and croons with the Mumbai band Rockin' Marmalade. The audience was top notch and included top notch singers and musicians including Celia Baptista Lobo (the patron of Celia Lobo Academy of Voice), Leon D'Souza, Irwin Extross. On many occasions, we shared the stage with professionals of the stature of Deidre Lobo-D'Cunha and Ella Castellino-Atai - so only the best would do...

Over the years - all of us siblings got married and then moved out of Chembur and out of India for work and family... and back home, the day has taken on a new meaning... With all the parents of our day - now being grandparents - they realised that St Joachim and St. Anne being grandparents of The Lord Jesus - should be rather revered as Grandparents. In recent times, the Senior Citizens of the parish have been offering a Thanksgiving Mass followed by an upgraded version of their monthly Housie gathering with music and entertainment. And this year, they invited me to help. (I trust my greying hair had nothing to do with it). 

While the Pantings (Arnold and Harry) provided the entertainment with their troupe and students, I played the role of Caller at the Housie and led the group through a little marching dance round the OLPS Quadrangle and ice-breaking engagement. The Chembur audience were at the lively best...

Where's the MUSIC?

I haven't forgotten the music on this post. Earlier this morning I invited Facebook friends to list their favorite songs with 'Grandparent' references. And this is what I got. 

A friendly grandmother (a retired teacher) who lives in my building suggested this song - Dadi Amma Dadi Amma Maan Jao. 

My pick of the day is this song I heard as a kid - Johnny Cash's 'My Grandfather's Clock'.

I'd like to have your feedback on what you think about this blog... Also do share suggestions on topics that you'd like me to write about on this blog... or music that you'd like to hear out here.

Once again, "A Happy Parents Day" and "A Happy Grandparents Day" to all the parents and grandparents out there."