A pillar of support, a friend in good times and bad, and a doting admirer if there was one — fathers are all this rolled into one and more. My Kolkata asked a few youngsters about the father figure in their lives and here’s what they had to say.
This Father's Day, I will celebrate my supermom: Aaheliya Adak
My dad's departure from this world left a huge gap in our lives, but my mom with her superhuman strength faced all the challenges head-on. I remember all the times when my father was in hospital and my mother would have to put on a brave face for me, despite all the emotional and physical struggles she went through.
As a single child raised in a nuclear family, my mother and I play the role of guardians for each other. My mother has become more protective about me than she ever was, and I’ve grown up to feel the same for her.
With my mother’s extraordinary pain threshold and the support system we have been to each other, I believe my father is always with us. I’ll remember him this Father's Day and celebrate my supermom as well.
Aaheliya, 21, is studying to be a chartered accountant and also pursuing BBA honours
Till date I haven't come out to my dad, but the bond still remains the same: Sayantan Ghosh
When, a year into my graduation, I decided to switch streams and take up BSc in Hotel and Hospitality Administration, my father was my only support. Against the strong opposition of all my family members, he stood beside me and admitted me to the college of my choice. Since then, his faith in me has grown multifold.
My father was in the police force and, despite an erratic work schedule, he managed to garner the patience and sensibility to learn about my everyday life.
But when it comes to acceptance of my orientation, till date I haven't come out to my dad. But somewhere I feel that they might have guessed from my dressing and nature that I'm different from other boys of my age. I don't speak to them about that and they don't ask anything either. The bond still remains the same between us.
Sayantan, 24, is an employee at The Happy Kona, a bakery in Kolkata
My father is my friend in times of happiness and in need: Preetanjali Pasari
A father is someone you look up to, no matter how tall you grow. This aptly describes my relationship with my father, whom I fondly call Papa.
Ever since my childhood, my father has always taken a keen interest in all my day-to-day activities. “From teaching me maths as a child to making sure he dropped me to school on my exam days and trying his best to get me interested in sports, my dad has done it all.”
On days that things seemed to be going wrong, he'd take me and my sister on a drive around the city or to appreciate live music. He is my friend in times of happiness and in times of need.
For Father’s Day, I plan to bake his favourite chocolate cake and watch a movie together. Bollywood films and IPL are two things we most definitely bond over!
Preetanjali, 29, is the founder of Butterfingers, a dessert studio in Kolkata
If there is selfless love, it exists in the heart of my father: Pinakpani Bhattacharya
I used to go for cricket coaching in Class IX and, one day, I remember returning home with a broken bat. My father, who was running a fever, went to the sports store and bought me a new bat. If there is selfless love, it exists in the heart of my father.
When I was a child, my father hardly ever scolded me. Instead, he would explain to me what was wrong. I recall that once while playing with my dad's camera I broke it and instead of yelling at me dad praised my curiosity in picking up something new and trying to learn it. This was his way of caring for everyone's emotions.
The father-son duo plan to celebrate Father's Day with a long drive and a cup of tea while the sun sets on the Ganga at Babughat.
Pinakpani, 24, is a freelance graphic designer
