Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Dhurvesh Dwivedi, an advocate, lost his wife to Covid-19 four days after the birth of their daughter.
Since then he has been playing the role of both mother and father. But he doesn’t see it as a burden or a responsibility he has to somehow discharge. “For me it is a source of great joy and immense satisfaction,” he says. And he is far from self-pity. “I am not the only father facing such a situation,” he argues.
Darshika is now 14 months old. Dwivedi gives her an oil massage and bath and feeds her before leaving for his office. Depending on the workload, he is back home between 9 and 10 pm. He plays with Darshika for some time, before she goes to sleep. “I take her on an outing once a month,” he says.
Of course, Dwivedi could manage things because he lived in a joint family. “My mother and my bhabhi look after her when I am away. But for the support of my family, it would have been really difficult for me to play the role of both the parents”.
Vishal Chakravarty with Mishti | FP Photo
Vishal Chakravarty (30) runs a cafe. His life-partner had passed away when their daughter, Mishti, was just two years of age. “She was suffering from some kidney issues and died during the Covid pandemic. She suffered a stroke while she was undergoing dialysis,” he says.
Vishal’s mother looks after her. But Vishal, too, contributes his bit. “She takes a bath with me, I dress her, comb her hair and feed her. She also sleeps with me. I enjoy doing all this,” he says. Vishal says that he doesn’t intend to remarry. “A stepmother, after all, is a stepmother,” he says.
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