This Father’s Day, here are some heartwarming stories of children who recount how their dads were an inspiration to them.
Strive to be inclusive, always: “My father would always help trans persons to find jobs. He kept telling me that if I could help them, I should,” says Diego Miranda, who opened a cafe run by trans persons.
Follow your passion: “My father told me I need not pursue IIT at the cost of everything else,” says Nishant Jain, whose father made him drop out of IIT coaching and encouraged him to explore his interests as a comic artist.
Don’t let crises get you down: “I was crying, ashamed, hurt, and confused, all together when I saw the pictures. I looked at my mother and said, “This is not me”.
“My father hugged me and said, ‘Even if it is you, so what?’,” says Shruti Chaturvedi whose father made her fearless by refusing to be blackmailed with morphed pictures.
‘Daughters are equal to sons’: “Since childhood, my father has told us that we are equal,” says Roshan, whose father went on to name his business ‘Gupta & Daughters’.
Be disciplined: “My appa strongly believed in the power of discipline and channelising energy constructively,” says Sabari Karthik, a karate gold medallist.
“I remember that he sat me down before my first karate class and explained how the two were essential values for success,” he adds.
Men can be homemakers too: “The choice of balancing personal and public lives or giving up one to pursue the other solely falls on the individual, be it the wife or the husband,” says Lahar Joshi who broke stereotypes as a stay-at-home father.
Education is important: “No matter what, never give up on education. I have experienced how it is to live day and night, counting the last of your income,” says Bathirasamy, who supported his son’s dream of becoming an IAS officer.
Use your skills for good: “Appa has used his writing skills to force various government agencies into action,” says Usha Ramaswamy whose father taught her to use her potential to bring about change in society.
“He was instrumental in relocating a bus stop, getting a foot-over-bridge installed for pedestrians,” she adds.