The strength of a daughter

I was on a travel to Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand, to report a story on a railway tunnel project. It was an adventurous journey, one that took me through treacherous landscapes with my photographer colleague and the professionals at the construction site. We were moving from one end of the project to the other, conducting interviews with site heads, project managers, and safety experts.

Day 1 went off smoothly, and we accomplished much. But from Day 2 onwards, things took a dramatic turn. Landslides blocked our way, and at one point, we witnessed a resort at the verge of toppling off a mountain. The mountains were unpredictable, the rocks tumbling down before our eyes, and there we were, unsure if we would make it out in time to catch our flights back home.

As the driver navigated through, I remember thinking, “Will we make it?” But as a journalist, you are always driven by a mission – to complete the story, no matter the circumstances. So, we kept going. At one point, we even had to get out of the car, cross over the landslide on foot, and meet another vehicle waiting for us on the other side. We did what we had to do to keep the story going.

Yes, we completed all our interviews, and by the time we made it back to the airport, we were exhausted but proud. I remember sitting at the boarding gate, chatting with my photographer colleague. He asked me if I had informed my parents about what I had just experienced. I hadn’t. “Why worry them unnecessarily?” I replied. But I also shared how I was excited to go home and tell them all about this adventure.

As a father to a daughter, my colleague expressed his concerns. He talked about wanting to always be there for his daughter, wanting to protect her from every danger and challenge. Then he wondered – will he always be able to protect her? Will he fail her at some point?

His words struck me, and I realised this is probably how my own father – my parents – must have felt for me and my sisters. But here’s what I told him, and what I believe every parent should know:

• Raise your children – sons and daughters alike – to be strong, independent individuals. Teach them to take responsibility for their well-being and decisions in life.
• Let her fall because it is only then that she will learn to rise stronger. Failures will make her resilient.
• Trust her. Your daughter can cross a landslide, take control, and safeguard everyone around her. She is capable of more than you may know.
• You, as parents, may be her biggest weakness. But become her source of strength instead, and pass that strength on to her.
• Depend on her in tough times. Your daughter is just as capable of standing by you in difficult moments, just like your son will.
• If she wants to be ambitious, let her soar. Support her dreams – she may be making headlines tomorrow, with you beaming with pride.
• Teach her respect, but also teach her to stand up for her self-respect. She deserves nothing less.
• It is absolutely right for a daughter to devote herself to her husband and his family, but it is equally right for her to expect the same respect and devotion towards her family.
• Encourage her to be fearless, to speak up for what she believes in. Her voice is powerful, and the world needs to hear it.

As a daughter, I have lived all of the above. And looking back, I can see how these lessons have shaped me into the person I am today – a proud daughter, a strong woman, a happy wife, and a dedicated professional. I am forever grateful to my parents for raising me and my sisters to be independent and resilient. Thank you for standing tall and proud as the parents of three daughters.

To my husband, I thank you for being my partner in every sense of the word – for sharing the household chores, and sometimes even taking over completely, so I can balance my personal and professional goals. I thank my sisters, my pillars, for being my role models, my guides, and my unwavering source of motivation.

Daughters are equals

Daughters are every bit as capable and strong as sons. It is all in how we raise them, how we empower them, and how we treat them as equals. On this Daughter’s Day, let’s remind ourselves that a daughter is not just a child to be cared for – she is a force to be reckoned with, a leader in the making, and a source of immense pride.

#DaughtersDay #EmpowerDaughters #StrongWomen #GenderEquality #RaisingStrongDaughters