Jay Upadhyay, Group Legal, Adani Enterprises

Want To Be My Son’s Role Model

I joined Adani on 3 October 2022 and my son was born on 17 November 2022. The cooperation that I received from the management and the senior at my office was fantastic. They were very accommodating to my new responsibilities as a father. My baby brought a lot of luck, coinciding with my placement at Adani. My job, like any other, can be stressful, but all my stress vanishes the moment I hold my baby in my arms after work. He has just started speaking and hearing him call me "papa" is an indescribable joy.

Since welcoming my baby, I've noticed many changes in myself. I am no longer self-centered; everything is now focused on my baby. There has been a massive shift in my life and personality. I have more stability, and I can no longer be impulsive—my priority is my baby. My father has been my role model, and I aspire to be the same for my son. My father taught me the importance of spirituality, and I want my son to have a spiritual side as well. I also aim to keep him away from screens for as long as I can.

Avishek Biswas, Safety, Cement Business

All About Prioritising My Son’s Emotional Needs

My son was born in 2016, he is close to 8 now. It has been an amazing journey. He was born in Vishakhapatnam, we then moved to Karnataka, and now we are in Ahmedabad. This has been a mixed journey for him, as he has experienced diverse cultures due to my transferable job. It has been a learning experience for me as well, being a first-time father.

Understanding a child is crucial, especially their emotional needs. While we all take care of their general requirements, it’s more about addressing their emotional needs and understanding what they seek from us as parents. The initial phase when he was born was challenging because I was also adjusting to the responsibility of taking care of him. It is a huge responsibility, and as a father, I constantly wondered if I was doing it correctly.

My wife’s office was a bit far, and the baby would stay with my mother, but my office was close to home. Whenever the situation got a bit out of control, I would quickly head home to calm him down. That’s how I managed things.

Being a father has been the greatest joy of my life. It is a pressure, but it is a good pressure to have. Fatherhood changes you completely from within.

Vinit Gadhvi, Container Terminal, APSEZ

Spending Quality Time With Kids

I have two kids—my daughter just passed class 12, and my son is in class 4. I have been working at Adani for the past 10 years, with a shift from 9 am to 6 pm. Thankfully, my general shift allows me to fulfill my fatherly duties before heading to work. I drop my kids off at school before I leave, and in the evening, I return home on time, giving me ample opportunity to spend quality time with them.

It is very important for a father to be involved in his children's lives, despite a busy schedule. I have always been mindful of this. I ensure that I am aware of what’s happening in their school, help them with their homework after work, and take them on regular outings. I never make excuses about being tired and not spending time with them. On weekends, I take them out for picnics, and during their vacations, I plan trips with them. I feel my kids are happy with the time I spend with them.

After having kids, I have become far more responsible. I want to ensure they have a better life than I did. I have enrolled my son in a good school because I do not want to compromise on his education. I want him to land a better job than I have. As a father, I want my kids to go further in life than I have and be very successful. My endeavour is to provide them with better opportunities so they can excel in life.

Anirban Das, Energy Strategy, Maharashtra Eastern Grid Power Transmission Ltd

Fostering That Special Father-Daughter Bond

My daughter was a Covid baby. She was born in March 2020 and a few days after she was born, we went into a lockdown. So that period was quite challenging. I was working in a different organisation back then and because of the situation I was working from home. That was fortunately a boon because it meant that I got a lot of time to spend with my little one. So that has made my bond very stronger.

Even now when I look at her face, I feel that I can overcome all the challenges. People say that there is a strong bond between a father and a daughter, and I feel that. Being in Adani ensures that I can give sufficient time to my family, especially the little one.

The work-life balance is good. Before coming to work, I take her to the park. Even going back from work, I ensure that I am with her. There have been a lot of changes that have come to our lives along with the baby. We are no longer impulsive about our weekend trips. Now, we plan trips and activities in which our daughter can also be involved. And I feel that it has been a very positive change because even we do not want to do things which do not involve her.

I am enjoying fatherhood to the fullest and I feel fortunate to have her in my life. Also, my wife and I are very conscious about taking care of our health. We want to be healthy for our daughter. That has become a habit, because of her we follow a more disciplined life in terms of food and fitness.

Subhash Verma, Admin, AEL

Want To Be My Son’s Best Buddy

In 2021, my wife and I were blessed with a son. He is two and half years old now. After he came into our lives, we have become more responsible, and I cannot express the happiness that I feel in words. I feel that the relationship between me and my wife is stronger than ever before, all thanks to our baby. He is a binding factor in our lives. We do not argue or fight in front of him and of course that has resulted in us not fighting at all. This fatherhood journey has been challenging yet very fulfilling.

I have seen so many positive changes in me as a person as well. I feel that my son has made me a better human being. I want to be better in all aspects of my life because of him. I want to work harder in my professional life so that I can give him a good life and good education. Right now, all I can think of is what would be beneficial for him. All my focus is on his well-being.

I feel that I am a hands-on father. Whenever I am home, I give my full attention to him. He loves playing with me and I make sure that I never say no to him. Even after coming back from the office, when he wants to play with me, I am always up for it despite my tiredness. I feel it is very important to give a sense of security to your baby that a father is there for you. I want him to consider me as his best buddy.

Santosh Kumar Singh, Head-Admin, AAHL

Balancing Between Disciplining The Kids And Being Their Friend

I have two kids; my son is 19 and my daughter is 16. I had my kids when I was very young, in my early twenties. Even though my salary was not much at that time, I do not think that anything was lacking for them. I always tried to do my best to provide for my kids and fulfill their needs and wants.

My son’s educational journey has not been without any challenges, he was struggling and was not that good in studies. But he has always been inclined to sports and in fact he plays football and got shortlisted with Chennai FC a few years back. He has also played for Gujarat Giants- Little Giants initiative. He is now also thinking of starting his football career. I am a bit wary of it and I want him to have a Plan B. So, currently that is a tussle that goes on between me and him. Parallelly he is also pursuing his graduation.

On the other hand, my daughter is particularly good in studies, and she is a complete daddy’s girl. For me as a father the challenge is to find that balance between keeping them in discipline and also being their friend. That is something that I strive to achieve every single day. Sometimes being a strict father does not work and at that time you have to talk to them like a friend and sometimes you need to be stern with them otherwise to make them understand that the outside world is a very difficult place. I want them to be ready to face it when they must.