Indore: Our pillar of strength that stands strong in the toughest storm and yet breaks apart with a tear in our eye is a brief understanding of a father for every child. He might not be as expressive as a mother, but his love can be felt in every corner of the world through his care and concern.
Celebrating Father’s Day today, i.e. June 21, the third Sunday of June, we recognise this powerful bond and bring you heart warming real-life stories.
This year, June 21 is also International Day of Yoga and World Music Day. Both yoga and music have played an essential role improving our bond with our fathers and also helped in improving our life experience in many ways. Hence, some stories from yogic sciences and music therapy have been added as new colours to our father’s day special this year.
Protecting the country & his little ones alone: Major General Om Gulia
For an army officer, his first duty is always for the country even before family. For Major General Om Gulia it is no different. Yet, keeping up with his duties as a single father, Gulia has set a unique example for every man and father in the country.
In the words of Kanav, his 24-year-old son, “Father’s Day is a very special day when it comes to the feeling of bonding with the one who created a meaning of life for us since the time we were on his arms playing with toys to the time we become the shoulders to support him.”
He added that a father’s bond is unique and grows in its own pace with life. “Army is ‘Service before Self’ and for every child born in Army family, we saw our father dressed in olive green uniform adorned with stars on his shoulders marching in rigid boots leaving us home to take over his first duty for the country,” Kanav said.
From learning self-discipline, independence to balance and patience, he described his father as not only a soldier in the Indian Army but a living example that walks and breathes for the people with commitment and dedication.
Far away, yet always near is how Srishti, Gulia’s daughter shared her experience. “As a fauzi kid we learnt to do independent, be confident and caring because most of the time my father would be away from us on border lines serving his country. Thank you dad immensely for being with me through thick and thin!” she said.
Corona Warriors: Like father, like daughter
Daughters always stay as daddy’s little girl, but as we progress in our lives, our daddy transforms into more than a saviour. He not only rescues us, but guides us on our path with courage.
Guiding his little girl to serve people as a corona warrior, cardiologist Dr Bharat Rawat overcame his fear and inspired her saying, “Ships might be safe at harbour but that’s not what they are meant for!”
A daughter helps a father grow in many ways; an example shared by Dr Rawat, “I have now started enjoying talking to her about my problems which I used to discuss with my daddy earlier. She would listen to and counsel me. Our best time is early morning walks.”
Dr Kavya has been serving in Sri Aurobindo and helping patients deal with corona blues since last three months now.
Talking about his father KS Rawat, Rawat said, “I found myself in a new form of life when I returned from Nepal a couple of years back on my dad’s 80th birthday and it has truly enlightened me.”
Father being a friend built a warrior: Janak
A trusting father can build an ordinary girl into a warrior and such is the example of Padma Shri Janak McGilligan Palta. Janak, daughter of Bishambar Dass Palta, remembers the little things her father did like picking out jasmines for her mother every day during morning walk and reiterates how these little things built her.
Sharing an incident, Janak said, “I was returning home, when a boy cycled passed me and touched my shoulder.”
She took out her shoe and threw it at him leaving him a muddy mark on his shirt. “I came home and told my dad about it. He appreciated me,” Janak said.
That was her relation with her father. “He trusted his upbringing so he never questioned my decisions, even when I decided to marry Jimmy,” Janak said.
Late in her life, she has earned wisdom and peace from the path of yoga and music. She organises several musical events at her home in Sanawadiya and practises prayers and yoga.
Janak has overcome several health conditions and now inspires others as a cancer warrior and sustainable development leader.
Supportive fathers help chart new ways of life
Making our own path leaving behind all the tested ones is never easy, but with a supportive father standing behind you, it becomes less of a challenge.
Such is the story of Yoga Prana Vidya senior healer and trainer Vishakha Karnani, who heads Indore centre now. Born and brought up in Kolkata, she should have stayed in her hometown and followed the usual path.
Her calling from yoga took her on a different path of travelling, exploring and changing the world with spiritual practises. “Through all my adventures, though it might have been difficult, my father (businessman Mahendra Kumar Karnani) never said No. He stood by my decision even if it was not his way of doing things,” Vishakha said.
Despite being opposites, her father’s support and acceptance helped her in spreading yoga practises across India. “Yoga is more than pranayama and yoga asana, it is a way to connect with the higher power and seeking spiritual growth,” Vishakha said.
Music connects fathers to children forever
Music has a power that can help people bond and heal. With this bond flowing in the family, Shevgaonkar’s have a unique tradition of father’s passing on music lessons to their children.
Learned music from his father (late Digamber Shevgaonkar), an engineer and teacher Harshad Shevgaonkar passed on these lessons to his 22-year-old son Ruchir.
“Music has a power to bond and connect us beyond life, as my father lived with through music, I will live with my son through it,” Shevgaonkar said.
He remembers fondly the music lessons with his father and now his son.
Father’s involvement critical to child’s development
A father’s role is silent yet an essential one in the way a child grows up. There have been several researches on importance of father figure in life. It is not easy to determine a certain standard way of father-child relation.
Citing John Bowlby’s original construction of attachment theory, psychiatrist Dr Smita Agrawal explained the importance of a father’s involvement in a child’s life. “The role of father-child play is alleged to be critical for child development and adds to the expansion of attachment relationships,” Smita said.
She added that a father’s role becomes noticeable in child development later; consequently, the impact of father involvement may be progressively more important and observable as the child grows older.
“Music helps in creating stronger bonds and breaking the barriers of communications, and yoga is essential for personal growth, mental health and physical well-being,” Smita said.
Combining these essentials of our life together on this special day, she urged people to involve all three in life by making requisite efforts.
Lockdown Tales: Forming bonds with haircuts
During lockdown, many families have come together and understood each other in better ways. An essential change seen is in father-child bonds.
The biggest barrier seen in father-son communication was broken by haircuts and attempts to be like. “During the hot summer and rising infections, my sons and I shaved off our head and somehow, it helped us bond better,” hotelier Zafar Shaikh said.
The three of them looked alike and could share the experience, which helped them get closer.
Giving their father’s a haircut was another trend seen in the city. “My son is much better than I could ever imagine, he gave me a haircut, which was better than a professional haircut, it is surprising,” Kamal Kant, JEE mentor, said. Further, his younger son (Rohan, 17) gave a haircut to his elder brother (Dheer, 21) as well.
Yoga to beat Corona
Yoga is an integrated approach which focuses on physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being. Quoting on how it can help in not just alleviating stress, but play an essential role in boosting immunity, holistic therapist Dr AK Jain took a lead on organising free week-long yoga workshop with free certification from Yoga Certification Board, Ministry of AYUSH, govt of India.
“As seen in recent studies held in Harvard University shows Yoga helps in improving lung capacity and to alleviate anxiety of Covid 19,” Jain said.
He added that some breathing practices like bhastrika pranayam, nadishuddhi, breath holding (antar kumbhaka and bahya kumbhaka) bhramari pranayam are very beneficial to improve immunity, lung capacity to prevent respiratory infection.
The workshop will conclude on June 21 with 10,000 volunteers in 427 districts in 28 states of the country helping thousands to explore the benefits of yoga.
A word from Yoga Experts Today
DAVV has organised webinar on June 21 to celebrate International Day of Yoga. Dr MM Gore, who has been working in the field of yoga for last 34 years, will be the keynote speaker.
He will also receive the award for excellent service in the field of yoga.
The second keynote speaker in the session will be Shriram Khelkar. He has an experience of working for 30 years in the field of yoga. The webinar will be live from 7 am.
