If Not For You

It's Valentine's Day. The BBC reports it's becoming a special occasion in India now. But we did celebrate even more than 20 years ago. Didn't we, darling? How long have we been married now? More than 20 years. And even before that we would meet up, give each other little gifts and cards on Valentine's Day.

Now my wife is in Calcutta (Kolkata), I am in Singapore, our son is in college in America. I wouldn't have even known it was Valentine's Day today unless I saw that report on the BBC website. It would have been so embarrassing if my wife had to remind me. We will be chatting online with our son later today, but when we decided to do so, no one said it's going to be Valentine's Day.

To mark the occasion, here's my favourite song: Bob Dylan's If Not For You. My wife never complained when I tried to sing it to her though I can't carry a tune for nuts. But what could I do?

If not for you
My sky would fall,
Rain would gather too.
Without your love I'd be nowhere at all,
I'd be lost if not for you,
And you know it's true.

Here's Dylan singing If Not For You with George Harrison at the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971.