Pune’s advocate Dr Chinmay Bhosale says he has taken after his father. For him, advocate Dr Sureshchandra Bhosale, a senior criminal lawyer with an illustrious career of more than four decades, is no less than a hero.
Chinmay is a practising criminal lawyer, with an experience of more than a decade, and his professional expertise lies in white-collar crimes and economic offences. “As a toddler, I used to walk into my father’s chamber, and observe him with great awe. Later, I would like to engage in a role-play imagining me sitting on his chair, speaking and writing like him. My initiation into the world of law had started to happen, although at a very subliminal level, since childhood," says Chinmay, adding that despite having a practice of his own, his father insisted that Chinmay began his legal career by working under other senior lawyers to gain experience.
Advocate Dr Chinmay Bhosale with his father Advocate Dr Sureshchandra Bhosale |
“My father made his way up after a lot of hurdles. As a student of law, he would study hard, while working part-time to fund his education. Except for tremendous willpower and merit, he did not have anything worldly with him. But he changed it all, and turned the tables. He’s truly a hero,” says Chinmay.
He adds how his father’s qualities of being a go-getter, yet staying humble are worthy of adopting, especially now, that he too, is a father and has a five-year-old-daughter Aarika and a year-old-son Aaveer.
Like Chinmay, for many, the relationship with their father is largely reverential. But many a time, the bond with fathers transforms into a one-of-its-kind camaraderie.
For gynaecologist Dr Neha Nene, her father Dr Suhas Nene, a well-known physician and paediatrician, is her friend and role model. “Not only is he a brilliant doctor, but he also has a calming and reassuring bedside manner. He’s always maintained that patients should be our first priority,” says Neha, with a glint of appreciation in her eyes.
Dr Neha Nene with her father Dr Suhas Nene |
She recalls how her father — who has an experience of almost four decades — used to work the entire day, but he still went the extra mile to strike a great work-life balance. “During my school years, he never failed to read bedtime stories to me and my sister, or attend our annual social gatherings, and help us put together our science projects,” says Neha.
She proudly stresses that her father is passionate about his medical practice. “And that makes all the difference. He always told me that if you’re in love with your work, you never feel tied down because of it. You do it willingly. And these words have stayed with me,” she says.
For some, the father-son bond is less communication and more feeling, while for a few others, it is an ever-evolving equation. Pune-based businessman Kailash Kelkar is a developer, builder and contractor, has an air-conditioning venture, and is also a restaurateur. Kailash is a second-generation businessman, and his father Shashikant Kelkar laid the foundation of the family’s business of construction, and land and property development. Kailash joined his father at an early age of 18, and he has not only expanded the construction business, but has also diversified his scope of work, and set foot in the hospitality and service industries.
Kailash Kelkar (right) with his father Shashikant Kelkar |
“While still in college, I told my father that I wanted to start working with him. I had imagined that he would ask me to join him right away. But, he gave me a time and a date, asked me to come in for an interview, and then offered me the post of a receptionist. I took it up, and slowly, I climbed up the career ladder. In my father’s professional territory, there were no shortcuts, or inheritances. I had to earn my way up with pure hard work,” says Kailash.
A father of twin boys (Kabir and Ayan), Kailash feels that his kids deserve the freedom of choosing their careers and passions, and pursuing their dreams, just like he did.
Advice. Support. Choosing what is right. And most importantly, words of wisdom—there’s so much that fathers give us in abundance.
Dimple Dhalwani with her father Dr Pitamber Dhalwani |
Agrees Dimple Dhalwani, a social media marketing professional and meditation coach. She is blessed to have a doting father — Dr Pitamber Dhalwani, a businessman and a philanthropist, a known name especially in the Sindhi community. For Dimple, her father has been her greatest support system. “I have always been a plus-size girl, and hence, at the receiving end of terrible body-shaming all through my years of growing up. There were times I used to be completely crestfallen. But knowing that I had my father by my side gave me the strength to fight the odds, and also helped me preserve my self-worth. What would I do without him?”
