Father and Feminism

                         

In a patriarchal world, the father is known as the pain taker and a love giver to his family. This stereotype has been followed for many centuries and it will be followed because" Men are born to be strong". Indians have a very diverse culture and belief if compared with other countries.

The new F- word  " Feminism", which has a very huge impact on the growing world which has turned the mindset of Indian Fathers and that's a huge step towards supporting their daughters/women of their family. It's a huge responsibility as a father to respect young lady decisions which not every father does and has courage because of societal acceptance emerges.
Desi fathers and daughter have a very unique, complicated relationship because they are been served by a patriarchal society which doesn't teach them how to respect women until a girl is been born and he holds her in his arms and that moment he realizes he has held most beautiful a heaven made divine being.

A father acts towards feminism when his heart breaks and he sees how hard it is to see his young lady breaking herself for societal acceptance which indeed is dispensable. Fathers are the privileged gender and push their daughters/women to take a dip in this societal tide to overcome their desire and fears.

A feminist father is rare but real and not easy to be one. There are many who are developing and evolving and leaving behind the quote " Log kya kahenge" as translated "what will people say". We need more fathers who actually process themselves in this thought and the world would make a difference.

Why do you have to send your daughter so far away? Why do you let her roam around so freely? Why do you let her wear what she wants? Your daughter is dating someone, and you are okay with it? What’s wrong with you? Feminist dads have to field the misogyny that comes their daughter’s way. Although how they deal with it may differ. And society has to ensure not to comment and embark nasty solution to someone who isn't related to them.
It's not easy to raise a feminist daughter in a conservative society.

Indian Cinema has given us movies which portray feminist father as they stand with their daughters even if the whole world seems against her including her mother because she herself is dealing with the patriarchy every day.
"Thappad", "Bareily ki Barfi", "Piku"," Angrezi Medium".etc are some astonishing movies that portray the support that a daughter expects from her dad, the right to freedom and independence.

The feminist daughter requires a brawny father who in every step guide her towards the success ladder and climbs with her without the fear of destruction.

                          
I can relate to this, how amazing my dad has been nurturing me all my life even after I have let him down. He indirectly teaches me how to be independent in this frightful world. I guess I'm the queen of my life just because I have the king who heartens me for my endeavors. I love him more than any man in my life who would ever come and I know he will not be able to make me feel loving and encouraging the way he always has been towards my aspirations.

I hope every father just for once spends some quality time with their kids and talks to them about their aspiration, their fears, their boyfriend/girlfriends/crush (it's optional), their way to deal with problems, career goals, their hobbies, etc. Fathers have to discover feminism with fatherhood to take a stand for their daughter and ignore the societal scrutiny and empower them to live lives in their own terms.

But alas, there is no escaping patriarchal pressure to keep daughters “under control”. We are far from becoming a society yet, where raising daughters is not seen as safeguarding a property until it can be handed over to another family.