Each year, the third Sunday of June is commemorated as Father’s Day. It is a day when we honour our fathers — the unsung champions and the saviours of our lives who readily and gracefully shoulder not only the responsibilities of fatherhood, but also spend their entire life in toil and sweat, ensuring the well-being of their family.

As I enunciate the word ‘Baba’, all the sweet and cherished moments entwined with my father unravel beautifully. Being the first child of my parents, I have had the privilege of getting the most out of their unconditional love and care. Smiling in between tears, as I transcribe my thoughts, I can’t help admitting the beautiful father-daughter relationship I have with my father. Being a part of a society where we find fathers, favouring and prioritising their sons in comparison to their daughters, I am blessed that my father is on the contrary.

I remember when I was little, as soon as my father used to return home from work, I used to be the first one proclaiming his arrival, and then before my brother could make it, would rush into his arms, beckoning him to carry me inside. The most incredible part is that no matter how exhausted he was or how tough his day had been, he never skipped hugging me or gently pecking my temple and enquiring how his beloved daughter had spent the day. On top of that, he always used to bring along something that cheered me up, be it one of my favourite fruits, candies, toys or books.

The amount of happiness it used to give me was so immense that even words fail to capture it. Though I am an adult now, this father-daughter relationship has not withered, instead, it has bloomed with time. Now, my affection and concern for him have grown even stronger.

Let’s acknowledge fathers for their countless sacrifices and for enriching our lives with their unconditional loveFathers, the epitome of love and strength Let’s acknowledge fathers for their countless sacrifices and for enriching our lives with their unconditional love

Although we indeed have deeper connections with our mothers that make it easier to open up and share our problems with them, the importance of our fathers in our lives cannot be undermined.

A universal truth stands out that both of our parents are always our true well-wishers. There are parents with strict nature, making it daunting to converse with them. However, we must remember that both our mothers and fathers love us unconditionally and want us to succeed in all areas of our lives. So if they are strict, it doesn’t mean they don’t have a soft corner, their hearts are always tender and feels for us. In simple words, they have a hard outer shell, but the inside is soft like wool.

The fact is our mother gave us birth and our father was the first to cuddle us in his arms. If we learned kindness from our mother, it was our father who showed us resilience. Our mother instilled morals and values in us, while our father manifested those values by his example. Our mother applauds our every success, and our father wipes our tears whenever we lose. Our mother looks after us and performs all the chores inside the house, while our father supports us in his unique ways.

However, in contrast to our mothers, fathers are not that expressive. But this doesn’t mean that they love or care for us any less. Believe me, our fathers deeply cherish us. Our fathers appear to be all stern and rigid by their facade, yet on the inside, they have a heart of gold that brims with endless love, affection and concern for us.

Not convinced? See it for yourself; who takes you to the doctor or who gets perturbed every time you skip meals? Or who gets apprehensive when you return home late in the evening after a cricket match or from your friend’s birthday party? Verbal expression might not be their forte, yet their actions speak volumes about their concern for us.

Fathers wear many hats Let’s look at the many important roles fathers play in our lives and enrich it like no one else can!

The coach

From those tiny stumbling steps we took, huffing and puffing while holding onto our father’s hands, when we were a toddler, to those bicycle riding lessons until we were a confident expert, our fathers have been on our sides, guiding us at every step of our lives. Each time we tripped and bruised ourselves, they helped us rise again and taught us by their example to never give up.

They instilled in us the belief that with determination, hard work and steadfastness in the Almighty, we can steer mountains.

The buddy

Be it a friendly discussion about a soccer match or a quiet moment spent in anguish, fathers are our perfect confidants and true companions. Their words of wisdom and guidelines enable us to sail through the trials and triumphs of our lives with courage and resilience.

The financial pillar

Undoubtedly, our fathers wear the mantle of being the bread-earners for our families. They diligently labour throughout the year, to provide for their family’s well-being and comfort, when all they aim for is to see their loved ones happy and prosperous.

Because of their unique traits and personas, our fathers may have variations in their levels of humour and temperament, yet what’s crucial to remember is that we all are obligated to tip our hats, to acknowledge them for their countless sacrifices and for enriching our lives with their unconditional love.

While we all may have our special way of celebrating Father’s Day and presenting gifts to him, however, let us all pledge together, to cultivate rock-solid bonds with our fathers, both as father-daughter and father-son, to spend meaningful time with our dads, to listen to them and to make them feel special. We might have had our moments, yet what we must always remember is that they love and care for us unconditionally.

So here is to all the fathers out there, thank you for illuminating our world with your presence! We might have said it to you before, but it needs to be reverberated again that you mean the world to us because you are our most prized possession!

Happy Father’s Day!

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 15th, 2024