Nurturing, male style

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: “My father has been simply awesome as a parent. In fact, it is because of him that I am such an independent person today. He gave me the space to learn from my mistakes and gave me the confidence to trust my judgment. I did not miss my mother at all after the initial years. Of course, it would have been better if she was alive. But at the same time, I know I have not missed out on anything because of him.” — Taneesha Kulshreshta, 23

“My mother passed away in a car accident when I was just 12. I still remember when my mother’s body was brought to the hospital from the accident site. ‘Baba, how are we going to manage?’ I had yelled out. The words of my father still ring in my ears today: ‘Don’t worry. I am here. We will put it together’. And we did.” — Aritra Roy, 19

It is not just a story of two youngsters who have lived the larger part of their lives without a mother. It is also as much about their fathers who overcame the trauma of losing their partner to take care of their children. But how difficult is it to play the role of a single parent? “It is quite a task. But if you love your child, playing many roles comes naturally to you. I feel that if you understand your responsibility and consciously carry it out, you will do all it takes to bring up a child,” says Aseem Bhargava, a executive at IPAN, in Delhi.

Adds Aritra’s father, Atanu Roy, a senior executive with UB Group: “Hurdles are creations of people’s minds. I never faced any problem in looking after Aritra. Whatever isn’t ‘normal’, we tend to glorify, or condemn. A single father or a single mother is an option or a consequence. So you mould your lifestyle according to it. And life goes on.”