Baba: A Word, A Memory, A Love That Lasts

When opinions seem to separate generations by galaxies, the need for deeper connection between fathers and children has never been greater- writes Mujeeb Jaihoon.

We often find ourselves talking to colleagues about the usual—work deadlines, project updates, travel plans. These exchanges keep the wheels of our professional lives turning. But they rarely reveal the deeper stories behind the people we see everyday.

The other day, however, I had a conversation that left a lasting impression.  It wasn’t about work.
And it wasn’t with someone in a suit or holding a briefcase. But with a member of the support staff—someone whose presence is essential, yet often overlooked in the flow of office routines.

I asked him, casually, about his family.

He paused for a moment. Then, with a soft smile, he began to speak about his late father. His voice carried the kind of affection that only comes from deep loss and even deeper love: His father had passed away just a few months ago.

A teacher by profession, his dad was a gentle soul who made time to ride a cycle around the village with his son, making ordinary days feel extraordinary.

Even now, he said, he feels his father is still with him. They used to speak every single day on the phone. That voice—its rhythm, its warmth—remains etched in his heart.

And just as our conversation was drawing to a close, he said something that left me momentarily speechless:

“Sir, Baba may be a small word, but big in meaning.”

There was nothing more to say. Just silence.

And some moments demand only our presence. Not our opinions. Not our solutions. Just quiet attention.

That brief conversation reminded me of the hidden worlds within the people around us—the stories we miss because we’re too caught up in our own. It also reminded me that the greatest truths are often found in the smallest words.

I count it among my greatest blessings that my father is still with me—offering not just his love, but a warmth that quietly reaches everyone around him. In a time when opinions and worldviews seem to separate generations by galaxies, the need for deeper connection between fathers and children has never been greater.

Not through flickering reels or fragmented shorts, but through presence—real and rooted. Hands held, eyes met, and hearts truly heard.