Sunday, June 15, 2008

Hats off to these dads too!!


IT’S NINE o’clock in the morning and Tarun, a software engineer, is busy in getting himself ready for a board meeting. He is wearing a nice business suit, a well-matched tie, has already picked up his car keys and carried a laptop on one shoulder and a Barbie school bag on other and simultaneously pushing a baby’s cradle too. Got confused with Tarun’s image?
Mom Tarun is a super dad managing home and two daughters single-handedly. Single motherhood is relatively accepted phenomenon, but what about single fatherhood? Have you ever thought about the fathers who had lost their wives in mid of their lives? In India, second marriage is still a taboo and stepmothers are still not really appreciated, so for those single dads it is tough to decide whether to go for second marriage or not, especially when you have children ahead!
GN Srivastava lost his wife when he was in his mid 40s; the eldest of his three children was in high school while the youngest in fifth standard. He says, “It was hard to cope with the situation as the loss was irreparable. Managing my three children alone was not at all an amicable settlement. I had to devote chunk time in understanding and forming a correct balance with my children’s and to keep the family unified and coordinated. I have to be more caution when taking up decision of my children as when you are a single parent your action can be easily impugn.”
Mothers are always the grandeur in the family and a child’s best friend. She gently wipes off the tears from your face and so lucidly brings back a smile with her careful ways, but what about dads without mom’s whats the big challenge for single dads?
For Tarun, who lost his wife, Kalpana, a couple of years back during the birth of their second child Redhima, life has been tough, when he has to get up early morning and pack tiffins for her 10 years old elder daughter Ritika. He adds, “Changing baby’s diaper and feeding up a child isn’t an easy task for many moms and when you are Mr Mom believe it or not, but it is the most exigent task that you ever got to do.”
When asked about why he hasn’t opted for second marriage, as his children are too small. Tarun asserts, “In the beginning, everyone forced me to opt for a second marriage as a girl-child desperately needs a mother to share all shades of experiences with her.” But Tarun stood firmly in his decision to not to go for second wedding.
He confesses, “I always intended to make a cozy and friendly relationship with his daughters, so that they could feel free to share their minute experiences starting from school tête-à-tête to first crush.” As he was continuing, little Redhima who is just two years old, now embrace him and asked him to sing a song. When asked whether he sings really well, he chuckles and says, “To fill the mom’s void, I have also crooned rhymes for my daughter’s sleep.”
Another single dad Rakesh Bharti, an engineer, too shares a very flexible and amicable relationship with his 15 years old son Ayush, who lost his mom four years back. At that time, he was not matured enough to accept the truth that his mother went quite far away never to return back. Bharti quotes that in initial stages it was hard to explain and Ayush often asked where has mom gone. One fine day, Bharti with heavy heart disclosed the rare truth to his son. Ayush has now very well adapted with his mother’s absence in his life and now too helps his father in managing home by helping his grand ma in kitchen and making a list of grocery items needed.
Anupam Srivastava courteous son of GN Srivastava sharing his bonding with his father commits that during the early days when his mother died he was feeling aloof. I have immense respect for my father that forbids us to communicate with him freely, but soon we realised that now he is the only parent for us in the whole world, so we need to start working on the relationship to develop a strong bond and to make father-son relation easy going. “Definitely the void left by my mother cannot be filled, but my dad did his best to nourish us in the best possible manner that we can expect a single dad to be!” he adds.
Motherhood is god’s gift, but these fathers have stood against all odds and have never let their children feel mother-less. They have being bestowing care and concern, and sometimes-exceeded mothers by far and large.
Undoubtedly these super dads have redefined fatherhood for mere feeling to expression. So all those who think that father is all about inspecting your report cards, admonish you for your’s mischievous deeds and managing office only think again! There are some super single dads who have gone beyond the edges of traditional fathers and are playing the role of Mr Mom very plumy.
Hats off to these single dads.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

hey sweety...

wow darling you've really written on a neglected issue which no one cares...you've very nicely portrayed the role of a single father..how beautifully he cope up with such situations..
keep going ...