Dad's the word!

When it comes to raising family, mothers tend to walk away with all the glory. Fathers, the bulwark against all perils, always remain in the background.

Fathers may not partake in the pain of childbirth but they do play a role in child rearing. They do as much as mothers do for their children if not more.

They are as eager as mothers to make sure their children grow up as good human beings. They may not be the best multi-taskers but fathers always hold a special place in a child’s life.

The unsung heroes deserve their due on ‘Father's Day’, which will be observed on June 16 this year. Metrolife interacts with fathers on this occasion.

Manoj K Jayan (Malayalam actor)

Manoj K Jayan spent every moment he could his daughter Kunjatta, before his second marriage to Asha, who in Manoj’s words is an ‘exceptional woman’ and a good mother to his daughter.  “It gives me great joy when I look at the way Asha takes care of our children. We have two daughters – Kunjatta and Sreeya and now we are blessed with a son, Amrit. What more can I ask for?,” says Manoj , with a hint of pride in his voice. Manoj confesses that he has consciously refrained from accepting any vulgar roles. “I didn’t want to do something that would upset my children,” he says.

Ganesh (Kannada actor)

Sandalwood actor Ganesh confesses that his shooting schedules are as busy as they can get but at the end of day, when he hears his four-year-old daughter Charitriya chatter on the phone to him, he is re-energised. “She has changed my life. When I hear her laugh and talk to me, I feel like all the stress is gone. My film Auto Raja is releasing and my greatest joy is to watch my daughter perform the opening song to perfection,” says an excited Ganesh. He adds, “This is the joy she brings into our lives.”

T A Lakshmikantha (Retired LIC officer)

T A Lakshmikantha has two grown up children — daughter Kanmani (23 years old) and son Hemanth (28 years old) but he vividly recollects how he used to take his children to school and bring them back home.

“We used to live in a place where it was hard to find an auto or a bus very easily. I took up the task of ferrying my children to and from school. More than a challenge, I think it is a pleasure to do things for our children, however small the task maybe,” explains T A Lakshmikantha.

He states, “We continue to share a very open and friendly relationship with our children. Today, that reflects in the way they conduct themselves. We are proud of them.”

Jayaprakash Prabhakar (senior engineering manager, McAfee)

Jayaprakash Prabhakar can’t contain his excitement when his talks about his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Karunnya, who was incidently born on ‘Children’s Day’. “The best gift that I got in my life — Karunnya,” he says. Jayaprakash and his wife had Karunnya six years after their marriage. “She has completely changed my life. Whatever I do and plan revolves around Karunnya. I have bathed her, fed her and taken her for long walks. And I always make it a point to spend time with her after I get back home. She doesn’t leave my side until she sleeps,” says Jayaprakash. He adds, “She is precious to us and everything she does brings us a lot of joy.”