Often, when we live with someone and see them every day, we forget to appreciate the role they play in our lives. While writing these words, typing them, sitting comfortably under a roof, with my cup of tea, I am pondering where this comfort is coming from that is allowing me to have a smooth flow of words. It is all because of the person who works tirelessly day and night to provide me with every comfort I need to grow and pursue my dreams. It’s all because of that man who never lets me get worried for a moment for my semester fees. It’s because of the man who pays for all my comforts within deadlines, sacrificing his own needs. It’s the man, who encourages me to pursue even the most challenging tasks, even when I feel it’s not within my capabilities.
Growing up and living away from my family, I realized that even when I am miles away from my home, he made sure that I live the same comfortable life, I used to live at my place. When the society rules out that women should dream within the limits, he is a person very away from this perspective. He made me believe that women are born to dream high. People often say that behind every successful man stands a woman. But I can proudly say that behind every successful woman stands a man who believed in her dreams before the world did.
I have seen him working tireless. There were days when I saw him leave for work at nine in the morning and return home only after nine at night. But, always when it’s time for him to comeback, me and my brother would get a call “What should I bring for you? Do You wish to eat something?”. I am grateful to that man, who even after having a tiring and difficult day at work, never forgets to take care of his family’s wishes. Even when you ask him to get a single ice cream, he will bring many, not because he miscalculated, but because he wanted to see you some extra happy. Whenever I ask my father if he has enough money, he smiles and says, “Don’t worry, everything is fine.” For years, I believed him. Only as I grew older did I realise how many sacrifices were hidden behind those few simple words. Every time, I find myself confused or stuck in any idea, he is the always the person who comes first to my rescue. He untangles the knots in my mind and paves the path ahead. He is always the first reader of my articles. He is always my first call before a viva or interview. Somehow, his words make every challenge seem a little less intimidating. I am grateful to the man who always have been my protective roof, even during the hardest storms of life.
Throughout life, we not only come across just our fathers, but many who take the role of father for us. Indian Familial culture never leaves you worried of being alone, it gives the child multiple fathers, mothers and siblings. There was my father, of course—the person who taught me resilience, responsibility, and the importance of showing up even on difficult days. But there were others too. Uncles who stepped in whenever help was needed. Elder cousins and brothers who guided me through challenges they had already faced themselves.
Looking back, I had elder brothers who are no less than fathers to me. No matter how difficult the decision, they are always the ones standing firmly behind me. They are the ones who have endless faith in me even at times I fail to believe in myself. When I travel alone, even if its late night, they are the ones who would sacrifice their peaceful nights worrying about me, calling me often to check if I am having a comfortable journey or not. Behind these simple gestures lies a depth of care that often goes unnoticed until we are old enough to recognise it.
Many of the men who raise us belong to generations that were not encouraged to express emotion openly. Their affection was communicated through responsibility. Their love was reflected in duty. They carried worries they never spoke about and made sacrifices they never expected gratitude for.
As children, we rarely judge our fathers by their income, profession, or social status. To us, they are simply heroes—the people who somehow solve every problem, calm every fear, and make the impossible seem possible. It is only later that we realise that behind that quiet strength stood an ordinary man making extraordinary sacrifices every single day.
Father’s Day reminds us to celebrate fathers, and rightly so. But it also offers an opportunity to acknowledge the many fatherly figures who stand behind the scenes of our lives. The grandfather who believed in us before we believed in ourselves. The uncle who offered guidance when we needed direction. The elder brother who protected us without being asked. The teacher, mentor, neighbour, or family friend who stepped into a fatherly role when life demanded it. These men may not always receive recognition, but their influence remains woven into who we become.
In a country where joint families have long been a part of our social fabric, love and responsibility are often shared. Care is shared. Sacrifice is shared. Even fatherhood, in its own way, is shared. This Father’s Day, my gratitude extends beyond one person. It is for every man who stood beside my father and helped carry the responsibility of raising me. And for the countless fatherly figures across Indian families whose love is not always spoken, but is felt every single day. Because sometimes the people who shape our lives the most are not only the fathers we are born to, but also the fathers we find along the way.
