The Fathers We Forgot to Thank: India Embraces a New Kind of Fatherhood
From quiet sacrifices to emotional presence, Indian fathers are being seen anew this Father’s Day—both in memory and in everyday life.
On a hot Sunday morning, with summer pressing its weight over the city, a quiet ritual unfolds in homes across India. Children are slipping notes into wallets, daughters are frying their father’s favourite aloo-tikkis, and sons are making awkward, earnest attempts to say what Indian fathers rarely hear: “Thank you.”
Today is Father’s Day, and for a country where emotional expression from men is still wrapped in restraint, this day serves as a moment of pause—for gratitude, reflection, and sometimes even healing.
A Lifetime in the Background, Now at the Forefront
It’s not that Indian fathers weren’t present before. They always were—holding up the sky so others could walk freely. But their love often came in silent forms: the perfectly ironed school uniform, the mended ceiling fan, the train ticket bought after three hours in a queue. For decades, their affection was built into the scaffolding of everyday life.
Now, however, there’s a visible shift. In pockets of urban India, and trickling slowly into smaller towns, fathers are stepping into more visible emotional roles. They’re not just funding dreams anymore; they’re co-dreaming. Whether it’s accompanying a child to their art showcase, or learning how to braid hair from a YouTube tutorial, today’s fathers are trying—sometimes clumsily, always earnestly—to show up in ways they were never taught.
The Memory Behind the Celebration
Ask anyone in their twenties or thirties, and stories emerge. A father from Indore who would silently leave an extra ₹100 note in his son’s exam pad. A widower in Patna who took on both parental roles, learning how to plait his daughter’s hair after his wife passed away. A retired government clerk in Trivandrum who, on every report card day, cooked dinner for the first and only time that year.
The gestures were small. The memories, however, are enormous.
When Public Figures Get Personal
This year, several public figures have dropped the curtain of performance to speak about the men who raised them.
Hrishikesh Pandey, the television actor best known for CID, shared an emotional note describing how his father never preached but taught by example. “He never told me how to be a good man. He just was one,” Pandey said, in a remark that resonated across social media timelines.
Swaroopa Ghosh, the character actor often seen in socially rooted cinema, spoke in an interview of how her father’s voice still guides her choices. “It’s in the pauses between thoughts, in the quiet before a decision—I still hear him,” she said.
And then, there’s Sachin Tendulkar, whose 1999 World Cup century—just days after the passing of his father—remains one of cricket’s most emotional moments. He didn’t say much that day, but his bat told a story the whole country heard.
Gifting Trends and Emotional Shifts on Father’s Day India 2025
Father’s Day has become a lucrative market, no doubt. Retail stores and online platforms are brimming with mugs, razors, perfumes, and neatly packaged nostalgia. But the real celebration is happening elsewhere.
In Lucknow, a teenager baked his father’s favourite soya kebabs from scratch. In Bangalore, a young woman booked a health check-up for her aging dad, calling it “the gift of more tomorrows.” And in Kolkata, a father and son, once distanced by years of silence, went out for tea—and perhaps, reconciliation.
Even in grief, the day holds space. Across India, many mark Father’s Day with framed photographs, lit diyas, and unspoken prayers. As actor Himanshu Malhotra recently shared, “Every day is Father’s Day when he’s no longer around.”
Rewriting What It Means to Be a Father
The idea of fatherhood in India is evolving. Where once authority and distance were mistaken for love, now intimacy, honesty, and even vulnerability are making their way in. There’s still a long way to go—many fathers still struggle with words, and many sons and daughters still don’t know how to reach out. But the effort is there.
And perhaps that’s the most touching thing of all: the trying. Not perfection, not performance—just presence.
Why Father’s Day India 2025 Marks a Quiet Revolution in Parenting
The truth is, no holiday can truly capture what a father gives. There’s no hashtag long enough, no gift deep enough, no dinner fancy enough. But maybe, just maybe, Father’s Day doesn’t need to do all that.
Maybe it’s enough to sit together, even in silence. To make the call. To say the words.
Or, in true Indian fashion, to simply ask, “Khaana khaya, Papa?”
Because in that one line, generations of love are folded. And this Sunday, it’s echoing across the country like a warm, familiar lullaby.
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