by It’s Father’s day coming up soon and we at Mums and stories have been contemplating on creating this space for all the awesome dads. So here it is our very first story on inspiring dads.
Here’s a lovely description by a daughter who is a Chartered accountant by profession. She is also a 2nd Dan black belt professional, trained instructor and referee in Taekwondo, founder of WoW Kitty- a not for profit fund for rural women entrepreneurs among a host of other initiatives that she is doing in life.
Giving out a candid heart felt message on her built up memories and her thoughts on her dad, Antra Bhargava talks of being in awe and constantly inspired of her dad.
“Everyone thinks their father is the best. I don’t believe it’s a competition but if there was, I’m pretty sure my dad would be a top contender. And I’m not just saying it as a phrase; I have plenty of facts to back it up.
First, he’s an awesome husband who has always supported my mother through the roughest of times, including when some members of his own family were pretty nasty to her. In fact when their marriage was being arranged, he took her aside to tell her the truth about his finances just so she didn’t get any nasty surprises.
Needless to say, I think mom fell in love with his honesty first. Just last year, I had finally saved up enough money to buy him the watch of his dreams but he insisted that I buy diamond earrings for mom instead. Second, he’s a fabulous grandfather who calls his grandchildren every day, at least once a day. They probably speak more to him about anything and everything than their own parents!
Third, as legends go I have heard of few other sons and brothers like him who gave up his own dreams of a career in Chemistry to mind the family after his father’s untimely death during his final exams at college – drudging through a debt laden business to marry off his sisters, educate his brother and keep the jobs for the loyal employees (some of whom are still with him after 40 years)!
Dad is an avid golfer who tees off at the insane hour of 5 am, 6 days a week and it’s an addiction we suffer from collectively as a family. My father also introduced me to music, the kind which has stayed with me throughout my life and educated all my choices. Think CCR and Simon and Garfunkel but someone who appreciates the disturbed version of the Sound of Silence and Adele. He has an absolutely wicked sense of humour, once making a friend listen to ‘In A Gadda Da Vida’ to show him that he understood that he was stoned!
We all love books in the family but we were strongly encouraged to break the rules and read at the dining table because papa couldn’t put his own book down. My love of country western novels and war comics come from him, as does my penchant for Wilbur Smith, Jeffrey Archer and Frederick Forsyth.
More recently, I love how he has opened his heart up to nature and wants to increase green cover so for his 63rd birthday. So I made a commitment to plant 63 trees this year.
My dad’s smile is my greatest award and his hand on my head can make me feel better through any illness. I always sleep best when my dad is in the house because I know, I am home.”
