Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): When their wives left them midway through their journey of life, these men decided not to remarry and devoted their life to bringing up their children. They played the role of father and mother, right from cooking to ensuring that the school uniform was ironed. On the eve of Father’s Day, Free Press talked with their children.
Excerpts: Shield that protected from barbs Olympic paracanoe medallist Prachi Yadav lost her mother when was 10 years of age. “Along with my parents and my sister and brother, we used to live in Gwalior, where my father, Jagdish Singh Yadav, was a deputy director in agriculture department," said Prachi (29), who is a winner of Vikram and Arjuna awards. When her mother passed away, her father took care of her and her siblings as mother and father.
“He took special care of me as I was different-abled. He encouraged me, he pushed me, he never made me feel that I am weaker than others,” she says. Her father stood like a shield, protecting her from barbs aimed at her by the relatives and others due to her physical problems.
“He accompanied me when I went to swim, he allowed me to travel to other cities for participating in tournaments and he even agreed when I decided to go for an inter-caste marriage,” says Prachi. Polished shoes, ironed uniform Sindhi writer Rakesh Shewani (34) is the winner of Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar for his play, Zindagia Jaa Rang. His mother passed away when he was studying in school.
His fathe.
