Even after my baby was born, it didn’t hit me that I had become a father. The baby was in my arms and I was happy, but that feeling had not sunk in. I was in a state of shock. The baby was not handed over to us immediately, and that night that I spent in the hospital was a nightmare. Gradually, the feeling dawned on me that there is a small baby in our life. He will cry and wake up in the night. Now, when I come back from work, I come home to his smiles and, in an instant, I forget my worries. After eight months, I think it’s the most beautiful thing I have in my life. He is our bundle of joy.
— Neeraj Gupta, general manager, corporate finance
I was in the operation theatre when our baby boy was born. That moment was difficult for me. Even though I was excited, I was also worried about my wife and child’s health. Being a father is not an event, but really a process. Every day, as he wakes up, Anay looks into my eyes and smiles. He makes me feel like a father day after day, everyday.
— Abhinav Chaturvedi, investor
I was away in Ahmedabad when I got the news that I had became a father to a cute little daughter. I can recall imagining through the night, in the hotel room, as to how my little one would be. When I first saw my baby, two days later, I was thrilled at the sight of the ‘doll’ with long black hair. I carried the little one in my arms very carefully and got lost seeing the pair of twinkling eyes trusting the ‘stranger’ who carried her. I then looked at my wife silently. The joy on my face said it all.
When my second daughter was born, it was great to see the bundle of joy. She was chubby and was exuberant even as a little one.
I used to take my two daughters for evening walks, carrying both in either hand. We used to play badminton in our little garden, two of them on one side and I on the other. I used to play the losing boy. When I saw the joy of a win on their faces, I felt great as a father. I discovered the art of winning in losing. Today, both my daughters have grown up, but I feel the same joy as when I saw them as little babies.
— Vasudev N, engineer
It is hard to describe any one moment that made me feel like a father. When I first saw my son, Raine, I’d been waiting outside the operation theatre, and I remember my fingers shaking as I clicked his first photograph. I, honestly, did not know what to expect then, and how fatherhood would completely change my perspective of life - the feeling of being part of something that is so much bigger. And when you’re filled with love, and you also give love, there is beauty everywhere. Everything is lighter and happier. I feel blessed and very grateful.
— Faizaan Kersi Marolia, senior software developer
It was just an ordinary Wednesday for me in the summer of 2005. But my whole life changed when my daughter was born the same evening. God gave me the privilege of holding my daughter in my hand for the first time. Words were inadequate to describe the feelings of awe and wonder, of love and adoration, of blessings and miracles. From that precious miraculous moment forward, my life changed forever. I had the same feelings with the birth of my son four years later. I was delighted, for god had blessed us with such precious gifts. While I know that each birth is a sacred moment, I did not realise what fatherhood could be, beyond the connection of an umbilical cord. Yes, I feel fathers are connected, too, just like mothers - sometimes tighter - though the connection is virtual. At every step thereafter, enveloped in love for my children, I feel the need to put their needs ahead of mine. That sense of responsibility reminds me of being a father, every day.
— Prashanth Krishnaswamy, engineering manager, system software
At every stage of your life, you have difficulties, happiness and responsibilities. After I was blessed with my daughter, my first child, way back in 1997, happiness and responsibilities dwarfed the difficulties forever. I truly thank god for his amazing gift. With the new arrival in the family all the three worlds surrounding me changed for good. I am connected with society and the younger generation through my children.
— Ananda Pujari, procurement operations manager