‘Absence of a father figure can never be replaced’

Our Reporter

Dimapur, June 18 (EMN): For Paul, who lost his father almost a decade ago, important events like Father’s Day make him miss his dad more and feel his absence.

Father’s Day is celebrated annually on the third Sunday of June, which falls on June 19 this year, to acknowledge and appreciate the contribution of fathers and father figures to the society and their families.

Paul told Eastern Mirror that his late father would make time for them (his family members) from his schedule to go to church, shopping, and visit stalls during festivals.

“There are times when we want to feel emotionally secure, confident and have a better social bond but the absence of our father makes it hard,” he said, adding that although his mother has taken the role of both efficiently, the absence of a father figure can never be replaced.

Proprietor of Fusion store, Temsusenla Kichu Dhar shared that her father was a man of principle who lived a simple life. “His absence is always missed every day,” she said.

Sharing her pain of missing her father, she lamented how her two-year-old daughter could not meet her grandfather, and be loved and pampered.

“Nevertheless, my daughter reflects a few characteristics of my dad, so we get to see a bit of him through her.

“Father’s role is so important in one’s life. There are times we regret how we missed out so many times to have a quality family time or be more open in sharing each other’s feelings. With him away from our life, his life principles are what we strive to be as a good human being. Helping each other, being more loving and keeping the family intact. With my father away, the emptiness and the distance within the family bonded. We miss him dearly,” she said.

‘My father taught me to be fearless’

For Anirban Mukherjee, operations manager at Emporium Training and Consultancy, his father has been the pillar of strength, who always taught him to be fearless.

“He always encouraged me to take all kinds of challenges and pursue my goals and never give up. After my high school, I chose a completely different field. Actually, my father always wanted me to be a lawyer since he was also from the same profession. But when I said I want to pursue a career in customer service and hospitality management as it was always my passion, instead of stopping me to pursue my dream, he put me in one of the best universities in the world to pursue my higher studies,” Mukherjee shared.

“During my higher studies, I turned to the mentors I had in my life. As I thought about specific examples of how they have influenced me, I realised that although their contributions to my career have been valuable, such contributions have only built upon the foundation I had previously received at home from my father,” he added.

He also acknowledged that his father had made the biggest influence in his career and life.

‘Surprisingly enough, during the pandemic, when I faced some challenges in life and at work, I found myself calling my father for advice. Even though our careers have been very different, his advice was not only applicable, but very valuable,’ he said.

‘Dad taught me to be humble and seek opportunities, pursue an education, and dream big. He also taught me to be honest and fair. In fact, his philosophy has always been to respect others’ rights and property, to promote peace’.

“With a large family, dad made many personal sacrifices to accomplish this. But he always found a way to do it. These principles have had a tremendous impact in my personal and professional life. The challenge for me and those who may find themselves in a similar situation is to pass these principles and teachings along to our children and future generations. Leave a legacy for those who come after us just like my father did for me,” he conveyed.

Walking in father’s footsteps

From the gift of life to shared vision, Kimatsung Jamir, son of the founder and proprietor of The Aries Rifle and Pistol Shooting Academy, Merang Jamir is thankful for the presence of his father till today and for guiding him through all the difficult decision-making moments in his life.

He said that his father has set a strong moral compass in his life.

“Because of his practical nature I have always been able to tackle and make the wisest decisions. He always told me to give back to the people,” he shared.

Jamir, who is also a shooter and walking in his father’s footsteps, said that ever since his father introduced the sport in Nagaland in 2009, he has been the ‘luckiest one to do both shooting and music’.

‘Under his guidance, I was trained by different coaches from India and I qualified for nationals in 2014 and competed in the national games, Kerala in 2015. Now, we have started the Khelo India shooting centre for the upcoming generation to excel further and make our state proud,’ he shared.

On the occasion of Father’s Day, he wished that his father understands how much he appreciates the work he does, not just for the family but the state, and extended greetings to all the fathers.