An Ode to Fathers by Rita Jairath

Dr Rita Jairath with her dad

Dr Rita Jairath needs no introduction. She is synonymous with a warrior who has risen from ashes like a Phoenix. Her wisdom of having fought all the odds in her life from an early age and coming out of every storm gloriously has given her enormous strength. However, she does not take complete credit for her grit journey herself, rather, she owes it more to her father.

Just Like a Coconut

People who know Rita's father picture him as a very strict person. On the contrary, Rita feels that he might appear hard from the outside, but he has a soft heart from within. That is where Rita drew all of her strength, fortitude, and courage to fight all the downs of life.

Rita's father had a very demanding job in the Air Force. Despite the challenges of his job, he took complete care of Rita's sick mother for almost 35 years. Side by side, he took care of Rita and brought her up like a mother. He never displayed any sort of gender discrimination in raising Rita. This has shaped Rita's inner personality traits over her growing years. Rita's father wanted her to grow in accordance with her true inner being and never forced anything upon her.

Pillar of Support

Rita's journey has had many highs and lows. However, her father kept her motivated the entire time, which kept her going. Whether in her personal life or her professional bodybuilding career, every accomplishment was made possible by her father's unwavering support. He stood firmly with her emotionally during the stressful and strainful times.

Rita and her family had familiarity with mental illness issues for a really long time. They already knew about the know-hows of mental health challenges and how to take care of people struggling with such problems. Rita and her father's experience of handling mental health problems, along with her father's tower of strength, braced her resolution of curing her autistic son.

Rita's never-say-die attitude comes from her father. Also, he was the reason Rita was introduced to bodybuilding and the associated exorbitant success. His Air Force background bent Rita towards fitness and bodybuilding. Rita's father played a pivotal role in making her physically and mentally strong for her bodybuilding profession.

Learned Motherhood from Her Father

Obstacles are an integral part of everyone's life. But when you have someone standing beside you and motivating you, facing the problems life throws at you becomes easy. For Rita, her father was the constant source of motivation. Rita learned a lot of things from him, including motherhood. Being a mother to an autistic child is very challenging. Rita's father inspired her far and wide in raising her son.

The most difficult time in Rita's life came when she had left everything behind and had nothing else to look forward to. However, her father was there for her through thick and thin. She learned how to manage her emotions during difficult situations with a specially-abled member of the family. The credit to gracefully handle every criticism Rita faced while raising her son goes to her father.

While the world has glorified the feelings and devotion of a mother, fathers are equally involved, supportive and affectionate. They greatly contribute to a child's social and academic development as well by helping him/her achieve authenticity, good self-esteem, a sense of well-being and a strong inner core resource. A father's inspiration and motivation can completely change a child's world for the better. They are the real heroes who give their children the wings to fly!